Entire backline injured

Press, 13 May 1981, Page 44

Entire backline injured

“Really, I had trouble keeping the tears back,” said the High School Old Boys senior rugby coach, Roley Manning, when giving his reaction to a story on this page ■ yesterday about how the New Brighton team was struggling because of injuries to two key players. “My heart truly went out to poor Ceddie Smith (the New Brighton coach),” said Mr Manning in a tone of voice which made it quite clear that he was poking some gentle fun at a rival which Old Boys treats with deadly earnest on the playing field.

Mr Manning then offered his injury list, which takes in an entire backline.

“Of the 10 backs I began the season with, I have now only three available — Phil Thomas, Mark Wheeler and Alex McPhail,” he said. The missing seven, begin-

ning at half-back and moving out, are Alan Edge (concussed last Saturday), Gary Cookson (torn hamstring), Simon Brown (broken bone in his leg), Hamish McDonald (fractured cheekbone), Geoff Brain (damaged cartilage), Daryl Park (a bad thigh injury) and Geoff Machirus (an injured neck). ’ Of these seven players only Edge is expected to be back in action by the end of this month and it is doubtful if much more will be seen of either Brown or Park this season.

The Canterbury selector, Gerald Wilson, lamented yesterday the injury to Park. “We need another wing in the squad and it would probably have been Daryl had he not been injured,” said Mr Wilson.

Mr Manning said “survival” was the name of the game so far as Old Boys was concerned at the moment

and he gave some excuse for his side’s disappointing, although victorious, dis-play against University B last Saturday. “With so many new backs we just had to play it in the forwards and, I agree, it was a poor game to watch.” So far Mr Manning has promoted just one player — Jim Tither, a mid-field back — from senior B, but on Saturday against Marist he will be using at least three other senior B players. He is hopeful that the situation will ease in the next week or two and one Old Boys stalwart who is answering the call is the former Junior All Black, Bruce McPhail. He is expected to test his injured knee, which has kept him out of competitive play so far this winter, in senior B on Saturday with the idea of returning to the senior side. Mr Manning said that he

had never experienced an injury run like it in his many years of coaching. “In the last two seasons we had no more than two injured backs at any one time; now I am waiting all the time to see who is going to be next.”

He is not thrilled, either, with having to play Marist on Saturday. “Marist is a side which likes to run its backs and not exactly the opponent we want at the moment.”

Mr Manning said that the continued hard grounds had not helped his injury problems, although this was something all sides had to accept. Back in March Mr Manning had been critical of the early April start to the senior competition because of hard grounds. “I still think I was right in wanting a later start, but you can hardly blame the rugby union for hard grounds in the middle of May.”