Auckland unconvincing in shield defence

Press, 11 August 1980, Page 17

Auckland unconvincing in shield defence

PA Auckland : Auckland’s coach, Mr Brian Craies, should have got the message clearly at Eden Park on Saturday: his team either shapes up or it gives away the Ranfurly Shield this season.

It.beat Poverty Bay, 19-12. but the Bay played with all the enthusiasm, application and fortitude Mr. Craies’s players hsd hoped Auckland would muster. Auckland, particularly in the forwards, was- lethargic. Its perforcance, to, lead orily 12-9 at the intervaL had'Mr Craies pounding -his fist in an animated lecture.. x -

■ For Auckland, points came from Tim.Twigden two tries; a penalty by Bryan Williams; and a ‘ dropped goal, penalty and' conversion by the half-back, Richard Dunn. . Poverty Bay managed four penalties, all iby John Whit-

tie, who played only because the regular full-back, Garry Muir, was home, ill, in Gisborne. Whittle missed only one attempt, from 50 metres, and kept Bay’s Shield hopes alive until Twigden’s try in the seventy-first minute. Poverty Bay had a possession advantage of 9 to 3 in line-outs and 5 to 1 in sec-ond-phase play after only a quarter of an hour. Williams put Auckland on the board with a 48m penalty but Whittle replied . in the fourteenth minute - from 20 metres.

Twigden’s first try came from a scrum 22 metres out when the second-five, Mike Mills, was missed out, Williams entered from his right wing and sent Twigden flying for the line unopposed.

A Dunn penalty two minutes later put Auckland ahead, 12-3, and it looked as

though it might take control. Then Whittle kicked two penalties to leave Auckland only three points ahead at half-time.

Auckland improved only slightly in the last 40 minutes. Andy Hayden’s forwards won the line-outs, 2013, and rucks and mauls, 1810. In most line-outs won by Auckland, the ball bounced to the half-back, Dunn, from various directions and he had to tidy up under considerable pressure. The ruck-and-maul ball often came out so slowly that Steve McCulloch was forced to kick away many attacking opportunities. Poverty Bay’s coach, Mr Dick Glover, had reason to smile. His side’s 12 points were the most it had scored in 11 shield challenges, and the losing margin of seven points was nine points better than its previous best.