Nelson-Bays clearly deserves win

Press, 28 May 1981, Page 28

Nelson-Bays clearly deserves win

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

The winning margin was only four points, but NelsonBays clearly deserved its 7-3 victory against Canterbury Country, in their annual rugby encounter at Culverden yesterday. Nelson-Bays started the match with great gusto, contesting .possession with great determination and ensuring that the first tackles were made effectively. , If Canterbury Country thought that the effort would lag later in the match; it was in for a big disappointment. ■ Nelson-Bays sustained its fine team effort to the final

whistle and there was little evidence to suggest that Country would have breached the opposition’s defence if the game had continued for another 80 minutes. Whereas Country could blame lack of possession for its defeat by Mid-Canterbury last week, it had no such excuses to offer yesterday. Graeme Higginson returned to the Country team and he was quite magnificent. His timely leaps in the line-outs enabled Country to win possession from that source, two to one, and Country was awarded 16 of the 24 penalties. . -

: But the possession was not I put to good use. Early at- : tempts 1 by the Country halfback, John Munro, to break, around the scrums were of no avail, the alert NelsonBays flankers, Kerry Kotua and Alan Dobson, doing their job most competently.

After several unsuccessful attempts to create an overlap by running the ball through the back-line with the full-back in as.an extra . man, Country resorted to relying on its first fiveeighths, Alan Devlin, hoisting the ball high and placing pressure on the defence. That, 100, came to nought.

Nelson-Bays attempted nothing spectacular but it was extremely efficient" in all it tried. It wheeled the Country scrum to its advantage and the backs, while limited in their attacking opportunities, stifled Canterbury’s movements with solid tackles. Nelson-Bays presented an uncompromising loose forward trio in Willie Dempster, Kotua and Dobson and supplied one of the game’s outstanding players in the bearded lock, Nook Hannan. ■' Paul McKay, whose ability to read the play provided headaches for Country, was a

mobile and constructive hooker who exposed holes in Country’s forward defence. With the experienced second five-eighths, Bob Neighbours, leading the backs by example with his sure defence and astute timing of passes, the NelsonBays back-line performed its functions effectively. The Country backs were again disappointing. Several variations of play were tried, but the skills were not there to cap off movements. Tackling remains a problem. Higginson, whose ballwinning qualities were unmatched, found himself working overtime on defence r... . .

and he did that most ably. Mike Jones worked earnestly; but the captain, Ross Loffhagen, was not so effective playing at No. 8. The ever present Kotua gave Nelson-Bays, the halftime lead with a try five minutes before the interval. Stewart Boon narrowed the gap to one point when he was successful with his third penalty attempt 15 minutes before full-time, but Trevor Olley sealed Country’s fate with a dropped goal towards the finish. Nelson-Bays also won the -curtain-raiser, its Colts team beating Country Colts, 13-3.