New Brighton wins with minimal possession at Lancaster Park oval

Press, 9 June 1980, Page 19

New Brighton wins with minimal possession at Lancaster Park oval

Statistically, New Brighton Ihould not have beaten Shirty in the main C.S.B. Cup tenior rugby match at Lantaster Park oval on Saturiay. All the possession and penilty counts favoured Shirley, ret New Brighton was able Io live off its meagre reJources and win a hardlought game, 8-3, to maintain jts lead in the competition. The victory was the sealiders’ ninth in 10 games, tnd by seizing its fleeting thances and defending stoiclily, the site demonstrated Vhy it has done so well.

Shirley’s strong pack won She line-outs, 25-14, the tcrums, 20-7, the rucks, 11-5, Ind the penalties favoured Shirley, 15-8. Yet apart from frank Jack’s passable imitation of “Mick” Bremmer in hunching into the tackle and Shirley’s attack wanted for letting up midfield rucks, Shirley’s attack wanted for lositive direction.

New Brighton played with indampened confidence and t great sense of survival, and Von oh its merits.

There were big scores from he leader’s four main rivals. Christchurch, which held second place, reached 37 points yith Robbie Deans kicking Jve penalty goals for the setond week in a row.

Marist racked up 40 points, (nd after several misses its joal-kicker, Bernie Stewart, leached his century of points pr the season. It was the ifth year he has done this. His Linwood counterpart, Hod Latham, is close to the hree-figure mark in his first tenior season. His six consecItive conversions and two {enalty goals in Linwood’s J 2-6 win against Suburbs pok his tally to 94. Terry Mitchell (Linwood), vho scored six tries on Satirday, and Garry Hooper jVlarist), who scored four, are |ow joint leading try-scorers Vith 10 each.

University A came from jehind to score 30 points in Seating Lincoln College, and its centre, Victor Simpson, Vas named “man of the Hatch” at Rugby Park. The Vinner of the Fletcher Humphries “Player of the Day” Iward at Lancaster Park was FZaka Ama, a Shirley flankir.

Results were:— New Brighton 8, Shirley 3 University A 30, Lincoln College 17. Christchurch 37, Burnside 17. Marist 40, Hornby 0. Linwood 42, Suburbs 6. Old Boys 17, Sydenham 12. Belfast 13, Albion 12. University B 10, Merivale-Papaiiui 3. Points are:—

BRIGHTON BEST Resourcefulness is one of the distinguishing features of the New Brighton side ,as the competition leader proved beyond doubt in beating Shirley. The seasiders made the most >f their meagre chances, and Scored two splendid tries from ;ell back in the field. With an unce of luck they would have icored another, but Ross Gibson iut a foot into touch during a rousing run to the goal-line in (he final minutes.

Shirley, on the other hand, was embarrassed with the glut of possession because it did not have a clearly defined attacking plan. Certainly, it played controlled football up front — no mean feat with one forward short — but until the last lOmin it zig-zagged from one side-line to the other, waiting for gaps which did not open. New Brighton’s defence was good, and the first line was supplemented by able cover, in which Wayne Burleigh was prominent. Shirley had some promising moments on attack, but spoilt them with some cavalier passes. Anton Wils was one offender, and Steve Scott made the most glaring error when he tossed a long pass into the arms of Gibson, who then galloped 70m to the goal-line for a try.

Scott played a strange game, often starting to run but then stopping to throw a pass or attempt a dummy. New Brighon was a little perplexed by this for a start, but after a while the Shirley players looked just as uncertain about their captain’s intentions.

New Brighton was much more direct in its methods. John Te Amo showed the way with typical dash, and Burleigh, a competent and well-balanced five-eighths, capped a good game with a startling run to pave the wav for a try by Peter McLaren. Devin Power, minus his beard, was an able lieutenant for Te Amo, and Gibson, although his chances were limited, looked in top form. He attacked aggressivelv, and was hard to stop. Although he experienced one of his rare scoreless games, Dave Bowick performed with merit at full-back, and was quick to turn Shirley’s mistakes into counter-attacks. Shirley’s locks, Kerry Mitchell and Roger Smith, were in command in the line-outs, and with the assistance of two other big men, Graeme Pulley and Terry Kreft, they formed the driving force for Shirlev in the tight. Alas for the efforts, the ball was not put to much use. BRAVE SHOWING

With a lead of nine points shortly before half-time Lincoln Colege had before it the dazzling prospect of beating University A. But panache went down to power, almost inevitably. In the second spell University s heavier forwards won control and the team scored 22 points to win bv 30 to 17. But Lincoln, a delightful team to watch, never stopped trying and had the satisfaction of scoring the final trv in the last minute. This was a very entertaining game, with the ball in hand more often than not, but it was University’s physical strength which won it. Dale Atkins is an awesome sight when on the charge and he scored a try with a run of 30m which put University in front, for the first time, 10 minutes into the second spell. Almost as effective on the charge were David Blue, a flanker, and the prop, John Edmondson. lan Stewart was another who impressed in all facets of the forword play. Although he rather over-did his attempts to break from the scrum, Gary Barkle was efficient at half-back and Vic Simpson at centre was strong and straight in his running. Often marched backwards at the scrum, wheeled off the ball, and down three-nil in tight

heads, the Lincoln eight nevertheless gave it everything and kept coming back for more. lan Ross was a plucky half-back and the Lincoln back line often moved smoothly on attack. BRIGHT GAME

Marist scored some brillianttries in Its large victory, but Hornby also contributed to a ■fast and entertaining match. The main difference between the two sides was the ability of the Marist backs to move the ball at speed through the chain and create overlaps for the wings. Gary. Hooper scored four tries but would be the first to admit that three of these were the result of slick work by his inside backs.

Surprisingly, Hornby commanded about 40 per cent of possession, but until the last few minutes was seldom able to penetrate a solid Marist defence. Only Billv Anderson at centre showed much penetration. However, even he tended to lose contact with his wings at times and when forced to take the tackle usuallv conceded possession to the Marist forwards in the resulting ruck. Marist began rather tentatively but, assisted by some superb mauling by the forwards, the backs were presented with numerous attacking opportunities in the second half, which were not often wasted. A prop, Pat O’Byrne. was especially prominent during this period, and his brilliant interception and 40 metre dash to score under the bar was the highlight of the afternoon. In the line-out a lock, Mark Connell, made some fine two-

handed takes in the first half, but faded slightly later in the game. The Hornby eight put up a brave fight, and a flanker, Gerry Tairoa, was especially prominent in the last quarter, setting up a succession of second phase opportunities for his backs, and always linking up well when a break was made close to the fringes. At full-back Hornby's Alan Cheat was put under considerable pressure but was seldom found wanting, and produced line kicking of high quality. The ability of Bernie Stewart, at first five-eighths, to read the play was a major contributing factor in the success of the Marist back-line, and he received a rousing reception from the crowd when his century of points was achieved. NEVER IN DOUBT

Although a victory for Christchurch was never in doubt, Burnside made a spirited come-back in the third quarter and often ruffled its renowned rival. Christchurch scored four first half tries and was ahead by 27-7 at the interval. From that point the team’s thrusts were interspersed bv bold Burnside counter-attacks, in which lack of finesse was compensated for by plenty of ardour. The support play of the Christchurch loose forwards, Jerry Rowberry, Peter Fyfe and Jock Hobbs, played a big part in their team’s win. They were able to liberate the ball quickly from break-downs, and they backed up the ball carrier in close formation.

Faced with the problem of halting a team attacking on a wide front, Burnside improved its defence in the second half and put Christchurch off balance with some vigorous kick-and-chase efforts.

One of the successes for the winner was Robbie Deans, who, as well as kicking 17 points in goals, performed usefully at half-back for more than half the match after Graham Gordon had been hurt. Some of Dean’s passes fell a little short of the mark, but Barry Thomas’s excellent handling dealt with that problem. John Collinson made a promising cut or two at centre for Christchurch, and Mike Cron performed nobly at the heart of many rucks. In the opposing pack, Graham Church gave a display of considerable worth, and Neil I.ewis was alert in the loose. Church epitomised Burnsid’s determination on defence by sprinting from the front of a line-out to tackle the Christchurch open side wing on the other side of the field. PACK IMPRESSES The powerful, cohesive Linwood forward pack took control of the match against Suburbs from the opening whistle and never relinquished it. Terry Mitchell revelled in the supply of ball which came his way to score six fine tries. Only In the line-outs did Suburbs achieve any sort of parity. Roger Cumming and Kevin Towett fiercely disputed possession with Linwood’s Dave Rowe and Mike Fransen to keep the line-out count even. Suburbs won only two scrums in the entire match. With Linwood going forward most of the

time they rarely had the put-in but even when they did, they were shoved right off the ball. It was a marvellous performance by the Linwood forwards. They were exceptionally well drilled adding fire and aggression to keep their opponent out of the match. Suburbs’ only points came in the dying stages when Gary Roberts intercepted a pass as Linwood was trying to run the ball out of defence. Ru Koha was a fiery, bruising prop and Mark Bruce a vigorous loose forward, but it was the Linwood pack as a whole which must take the credit for victory. It stuck together in pursuit of the ball for 80 minutes. Linwood’s first five-eighths, Rod Latham, kept his kicking to a minimum, preferring,instead to move the ball along the chain. He gave his threequarters plenty' of room’; to move by using the long cut-out pass and Murray le Compte came up from full-back on occasions to lend impetus to the attack. Plav tended to flow to the right" and Mitchell made maximum use of his good fortune. Not content with this, however, he moved all over the field looking for work, cutting an impish figure as he danced through the defence. Things became a little too heated on occasions. BrUce. was sent to the sin-bin for - overvigorous rucking in the first half and. after the interval, Barry White (Suburbs) and John Phillips were sent off for fighting. SYDENHAM IMPRESSES

Although scoring three tries to one, Old Boys were never in

full command against a spirited Sydenham team which threatened late in the game to effect the upset of the season. Old Boys’ final margin of five points was a fair indication of how the game went. The troubles in which last year’s champion side found itself were partly of its own making. Over-eagerness to clear the ball to the wings brought trouble, for some of the long passes intended to eliminate players were badly thrown or taken and Sydenham was quick to seize on its chances. Old Boys would have been in worse difficulty but for its fullback, Allan Edge, who gave another brilliant display. He seemed to be everywhere, and was a fine attacker; but was not found wanting in critical moments on defence. Sydenham, for all its lowly position on the table, has a nucleus of very experienced forwards—Alan Duffin, Malcolm Melhopt, and Roger Higgs. These three, with the lively Tom Chandler and the promising Paul Edlin kept Old Boys busy and won a surprising amount of lineout ball. Wayne Teale at halfback and Terry Bastion outside him had a good understanding, but it was a pity play went so seldom to the right wing, Brett Oetgen. who again showed how strong and elusive he can be. Behind an earnest Old Boys pack, Phil Thomas was cool and collected and Simon Brown was very dangerous in broken play. It was a fast-moving, thoroughly entertaining game, to which Sydenham contributed its full share, and it was a pity it had to be spoiled by puerile punching. CUTTING IT FINE Belfast, after trailing Albion throughout, snatched victory with 30 seconds to go when Wally Hemapo landed a penalty goal from an easy angle after an Albion ruck infringement. Albion had mounted a tenacious defence and withstood a sustained Belfast attack for most of the second spell and it was odd that the game should be lost after the team had broken out of its own quarter and come close to scoring. Belfast should have won convincingly, for the forwards had complete domination. The lineouts were won almost at will and Albion saw very little possession from rucks and mauls. The backs were disappointing and were unable either to burst through the centre or outflank the opposition.

Denis Karatea and Tim Ashworth were excellent line-out forwards, and Tony Burrows showed up in the loose in a very even pack. Wayne Nutbrown cleared the ball well and Hemapo showed initiative at second five-eighths. The Albion forwards, although beaten in the struggle for possession, were quick to the loose ball and made capital from the frequent Belfast errors. Gary Sellars, besides scoring himself, made the break which led to Albion’s second try and put constant pressure on the Belfast backs. Solid support came from Russell Matheson. Alan Rushton had another fine game at full-back, never flinching under the high ball, and kicking well. Mike Dolan at halfback, and outside him Nicky Dierck, also came through a difficult day with credit.

LATE RALLY Showing the flair which has endeared it to Christchurch's rugby public. University B overcame terrible playing conditions and a strong pack to beat Merivale-Papanui at Nunweek Park, 10-3. Spectators took one look at the huge puddles and bogs in several parts of the playing area and steeled themselves for an; orthodox game of kick-and-chase rugby.

But both sides demonstrated a clear liking for the running game from the first whistle. Botn back-lines were determined to play enterprising rugby and both succeeded; University B to a greater degree than MerivalePapanui. 'rhe relatively lightweight University B forwards sensibly did not take on the large Meri-vale-Papanui pack in the tight. Tlieir tactics were mainly of a marauding nature, and the big amount of bail Merivale-Papanui gained was nullified by the bustling play of the No. 8, Sam Kuper, and a flanker, Kevin Trueman.

The play of the University inside backs, Stuart Griffiths at hall-back and Craig Bunyon at first, five-eighths, was the key to the team’s win. Griffiths, although not really well protected by his forwards, managed to link up with Bunyon with some very long passes. Bunyon was a fine tactical kicker and was accurate enough to put a lot of pressure on the Merivale-Papanui backline.

John Luscombe, who played steadily at second five-eighths, and Mark Hutton, who did not see much of the ball from his post on the wing, scored for University late in the game. Ably led by a lock, John Harwood, who probably won 90 per cent of the line-outs for his side, the blue and white pack was a force to be reckoned with. Early in the second half the MerivalePapanui pack constantly drove the University team back. But the lighter University team seemed fitter and had enough in reserve to produce pressure late in the game for a convincing win.

The best of the Merivale men were the half-back, Tony Manarangi, the tireless flanker, lan Culpan, who dominated the back of the line-outs, and the fullback, Lindsay Thorn, whose kicking and catching was of high standard.

W D L F A Pts few Bri. 9 1 161 98 18 thch 8 1 1 155 78 17 Jfarist 7 2 1 249 86 16 Bniv. A 8 2 271 128 16 Linwood. 8 2 209 96 16 Shirley 6 4 120 117 12 aid Boys 5 1 4 178 131 11 Belfast 0 1 4 180 164 11 tin. Coil. Burnside 3 2 1 3 6 5 132 106 144 138 7 7 Llbion 3 1 6 96 171 7 Hornby 3 1 6 97 189 7 i'niv. B 3 7 83 235 6 suburbs 2 8 108 172 4 fleri.-Pap. 2 — 8 100 179 4 lyden. — 1 9 84 203 1