All Black debut tomorrow for Perry, Jefferd

Press, 15 July 1980, Page 28

All Black debut tomorrow for Perry, Jefferd

NZPA Nandi, Fiji The Mid-Canterbury hooker, Grant Perry, and Andy Jefferd, of East Coast, will play their first games for the All Blacks against Nadroga at Lautoka tomorrow. Perry, Jefferd and the other replacement hooker, Ken Bloxham, joined the team at Nandi yesterday afternoon. The sole selector and coach, Eric Watson, picked nine of Saturday’s third test players for the game against one of the strongest provincial sides in Fiji. The hard grounds of Fiji have already taken their toll on the All Black party. Soon after the side arrived from Sydney on Sunday evening, the Southland flanker, Leicester Rutledge, went out for a jog and badly twisted his right ankle when he trod in pothole. Further ankle casualties at yesterday morning’s training session included the lock, Andy Haden, and full-back, Brett Codlin. Haden’s ankle was twisted on the hard ryegress field, but it is not expected to keep him out of tomorrow’s match, however. Mr Watson said he had decided to play the captain, Dave Loveridge, tomorrow because he would require his services for the final match against Fiji.

The implication was that Canterbury’s Steve Scott would be playing for the All Blacks against Suva, at Buckhurst Park on Saturday.

Soon after the side was announced, the All Black manager, Ray Hat per, said he wanted the team to regroup and perform better during the Fijian section of the tour.

“Our biggest worry at the moment is to recover from the series loss and

the loss against Queensland last Sunday week,” Mr Harper said. When Bloxham makes his All Black debut, presumably against Suva next Saturday, the team which began its tour with 25 players will have used 31 men altogether. Some Fijian observers believe that Nadroga will present tougher opposition for the All Blacks than Fiji will be able to offer tomorrow week.

Coupled with the strength of the opposition, the New Zealanders will also have to play in an extremely high temperature of about 30 degrees C.

The trade winds are at their strongest in July, according to a local meteorologist, and the ryegrass surface on the Lautoka ground will be very hard.

The Nadroga team will have its final training run in preparation for the match this afternoon. The province always makes a signicant contribution in player numbers to the national side. While the AH Blacks enjoyed an island cruise in the company of their hosts yesterday afternoon, the Fiji Union chairman, Barry Sweetman, and an executive member, Arthur Jennings, there was a realisation that tomorrow’s match would be no cakewalk. The All Black team is: Richard Wilson; Stu Wilson, Andy Jefferd, Bernie Fraser, Lachlan Cameron, Murray Taylor; Dave Loveridge (captain); Murray Mexted; Geoff Hines, Andy Haden, Graeme Higginson, Mark Shaw; Brad Johnstone, Grant Perry, Gary Knight. Reserves. — Backs: Steve Scott, Murray Watts, Nicky Allen. Forwards: John Speirs, Ken Bloxham, John Fleming.