Barkle edges out Scott

Press, 13 August 1980, Page 36

Barkle edges out Scott

The selection of Gary Barkle at half-back, ahead of his All Black rival Steve Scott, is the most interesting feature of the Canterbury rugby team to play Fiji at Lancaster Park on Saturday. This is the first time this season that the Canterbury back selector, Gerald Wilson, has had to make a definite choice between the pair and, as in recent years, his preference was for Barkle. Mr Wilson said last evening that Scott was still favouring the ankle he injured against New South Wales last Sunday, but he was expected to be fully fit by Saturday. “Both men were considered and I made my choice on what I considered were the best interests of the team,” said Mr Wilson. Apart from Barkle, who replaced Scott midway through the second spell of the New South Wales game, only two changes have been made in the side that played last Sunday.

Randal Scott returns as one of the wings, where there was a vacancy anyway with lan Mather having a shoulder injury, and Murray Davie takes over from Pat

O’Byrne as the tighthead prop. = Not surprisingly after their good showings on Sunday, Paul Molloy and Kieran Keane, have been kept together in the mid-field, leav-. ing Victor Simpson, who earlier seemed to be making' a strong bid for the centre’s job, in the reserves. The team is:—

Richard Wilson; Randal Scott, Paul Molloy, Ross. Gibson; Kieran Keane,Rod Latham; Gary Barkle;: Peter McLaren; Don Hayes (captain), Jock Ross, Graeme Higginson, Barney Henderson; Murray Davie, Murray. Hall, John Ashworth.

Reserves. —Steve Scott,Robbie Deans, Victor Simpson; Mick Powley, Pat O’Byrne, Dave White. The Canterbury B team to; play Canterbury Maoris next Sunday is:—

B. Hunter; W. Anderson, S. Hansen, D. Park; P. Karena, W. Burleigh; G. Ellis,: J. Te Amo (captain); K. ; Flood, R. Smith, A. Martin,; R. Loffhagen; R. Waghorn,'; M. Powley, N. Porter. Reserves. —P. Thomas, B. Oetgen, S. Blackler; T. Bur-; rows, A. Muir, G. Smith.