Lively flanker key player in Canty XV win

Press, 23 July 1980, Page 46

Lively flanker key player in Canty XV win

By

RAY CAIRNS

The repeated mutterings of “Red Conway” paid more than adequate tribute to the excellence of the performance of the auburn-haired University flanker, Adrian Muir, at the Rangiora Show Grounds yesterday.

His distinctive thatch and broad white head-bandage played significant parts in identifying Muir as the man of the match in the 7-3 victory enjoyed by a Canterbury XV — in truth, a Town XV — against North Canterbury. But Muir did not require such adornments. In a match containing such noted proponents of loose forward play as the tireless John Te Amo and his rural opposite, Ross; Loffhagen, Muir rose high above them all.

Only a little fellow, he shirked at no confrontation, and his speed away from the pack in set play — even taking into account his occasional beating of the starter’s signal — made life a misery for the North Canterbury backs. Accordingly, and also tak-| ing into account the labour-] ed service of the North! C

anterbury half-back, John Munro, there was precious little offered by the country team’s backs. Indeed, the

only players to run with any real verve were Gerry McGuire, at his entries to the line from full-back, and one wing, Neil Burton. His abrasive fellow, Wayne Bush, won only negative attention for a stiff-arm tackle which removed Simon Brown from the match.

So it really developed into a battle between the tidy and efficient North Canterbury pack, and the incisive Canterbury XV backs, Steve Hansen again the most prominent of them. His speed and balance, and his sense of timing in making the break or delivering the crucial pass, stamped him as a player of rare authority. Canterbury scored the only try of the match, when 'Brett Oetgen provided the finishing speed to a HansenB u r 1 e i g h-inspired move; within 2min of each other in the first half, both he and Don Humphries had lost the ball over the line.

The other points were a penalty apiece, Alan Devlin for North Canterbury 12min iinto the second half, and I Brian Hunter had Canterbury’s only success in six attempts by he and Hansen.

I The referee, Mr Steve Carter, won admiration from the 260 spectators for his generous application of the advantage law.