Bad errors cost Marist match with Chch

Press, 22 June 1981, Page 20

Bad errors cost Marist match with Chch

Marist had only itself to blame for its loss to Christchurch at Rugby Park. It failed to score the points to go with its early dominance and then, when Christchurch came with a late rush, Marist slipped morq and more into error.

Christchurch scored both of its tries from bad errors, particularly the second try, by Murray McEwen, who ran unchallenged to the line after having intercepted a pass about 20m out. ' In the first half especially, Marist had a feast of possession. It barely lost a line-out and there were some fine two-handed takes by the young lock, Pat O'Gornian.■’ ' ■■

This ball was served up quickly and tidily to the backs but with Bernie Stewart not having a good day at first fiveeighths, the Marist backline was seldom very menacing. The main avenue of attack was through the hard running of the second fiveeighths. Mark Ryan but Christchurch maintained a tight midfield defence.

The pattern remained much the same in the early stages of .the second spell and. although ahead only 10-3, Marist appeared to have a grip on the game that was unlikely to be loosened.

But then Christchurch, through the higher jumping of Peter Fry; won a few line-outs and . the, backs used this ball well enOiiigfi to expose weaknesses in Marlst's defensive play. It was a very

different game for the last 15 minutes, with Christchurch on top and moving the ball smoothly through its backline. . One Marist forward who never slackened off was the flanker, Kerry Flood. His tackling was extremely safe and his most able ally in his area was his younger brother, Chris. '

The Christchurch forwards took a long time to get off their heels but they packed a fair punch in the final quarter and John Mills, in the loose, and Mike Cron, in- the tight, both impressed.

John Mika was an even more conspicious figure, perhaps alittle too conspicious for a lock. But some of his ball-in-hand running was devastating. Michael James, the Marist half-back, came into his own' after a slow start and Graham Kench. if only for his kicking, Chris Baines, and Deans were all quality backs for Christchurch. But the whole side must reflect on -its good fortune of still being in a position 15 minutes into the second spell to mount its charge for victory. STRONG FINISH

For three-quarters of the match at Lancaster Park Oval, Lincoln College was in. danger of a.’second consecutive defeat and High' School Old' Boys looked likly to emerge from their recent unhappy run: . ’ : Lincoln College played with

power and purpose in the final quarter. ..however, scoring 13 points in 15 minutes. Although Old Boys had the consolation of a try in the last seconds, the 16-7 loss left them with only one competition point from the last four rounds.

Both sides made regular use of the high punt but usually it did no more than give away possession. Once it was successful; the Old Boys full-back, Mark Wheeler, was caught under a towering kick and a quickly won ruck had Lincoln College running on the blind side, with Mark Mclntosh adding to his impressive tally of tries this season. ’ Old Boys looked much better than in-recent weeks until the final quarter. Gary Codksoh was back at first five-eighths and the former Canterbury and Hawkes Bay player, Ricky Allen, gave strength to the attack in an inside-outside centre role. He was strong with the ball in hand and tackled well. Old Boys discovered a rhythm in the backs which had been lacking but the return of Darryl Park to the wing was not a happy one. He hardly saw the ball and had to leave the field with an'injury during the secondhalf.

It was not a spectacular match but it was a hard one and always interesting. Lincoln College’s backs were confused for a long. time, and two prime scoring chances were lost. The half-back,

Bruce Deans, was under stiff pressure from the Old Boys flankers and half-back in set play and was taken with the ball frequently. In broken play, however, he was able to set up good positions with his elusive run-, ning.

In the forwards, Dave White and Albert Anderson gave Lincoln an even share of line-out possession and their sturdy efforts contributed to a Lincoln superiority in rucks and mauls. There is much to admire in the play of Alan Edge, who. again was the half-back for Old Boys, He is a strong, resourceful and a versatile player. But for a while he seemed inclined to play Lincoln on his own when the backs outside him looked very useful. The Old Boys forwards again Sed well but rather surpris_y they gave ground in the closing stages. Donald Symons and Gary Fuller were proficient in the line-outs. Old Boys wilted on defence. The tackling and covering Were adequate until mid-way through the second half- but then first tackles were missed regularly. NJGGLY AFFAIR The strength and determination of the New Brighton right wing, Ross Gibson, played an important part ini his team’s 14-3 win over Merivale-Papanui at Rawhiti Domain. '. Gibson scored the only two tries of the match and it was

perhaps unfortunate for New Brighton that play was seldom moved in his direction for he was at his aggressive best.

The match was mediocre and niggly but New Brighton earned its win because it was able to polish off its movements better. The Merivale-Papanui forwards, ably led by John Harwood, , worked conscientiously and won ample ball for the backs. However, the possession was not put to the best use and although many breaks were made the support was not there to finish them off: Wayne Burleigh's impeccable handling and clever kicking was of great value to New Brighton and Trevor Keats had a lively match on the left wing, enjoying the tackling opportunities that came his way. Until he retired injured. Peter McLaren had a grand match al the back of the New Brighton scrum and Paul Bell, a rugged prop, distinguished himself with several crashing runs.. In spite of some unwarranted heckling from New Brighton supporters. Richard Wilson proved to be safe under the high kicks although his continuing lack of goal-kicking success must be disturbing to him and his team. SHIRLEY RELAXES Shirley ran away to a 19-3 lead within 31) minutes of the start of its match against University B hut then the side lapsed into a curious state of torpor which even a half-time haranguing by the coach, Mr Dennis Young, could not dispel. However, it might be unfair to University B to suggest that Shirley's inability to push home its early advantage was all its own fault. Shirley, predictably, came out well on top in the lineout and ruck counts but otherwise. the students showed up strongly. They packed a low. steady scrum, tackled staunchly, and ran the ball from everywhere, often through tap penalties or by counter-attacking.

As well, the forwards drove into the rucks fanatically, although Shirley had the ’ main share of the possession here because-of their greater control, with Roger Smith in especially fine form. University's Fletcher Teesdale was a spring-heeled lock .until he went off 15 minutes from the end and he, Chris Allan,, and the No. 8 Kevin Truman, made sure that Shirley's line-out men did not have 'things entirely their own way. The half-back, Stuart Griffiths,

lost nothing in comparision with his All Black rival, Steve Scott, and John Luscombe was a hardrunning. high-stepping wing. Tawhai Taite ran strongly on the right win for Shirley, scoring a fine try when he burst into the line from the blind side. Robert Hammersley tidied up nicely in the line-outs and showed skill in the mauls as well. Scott showed touches of his class behind the Shirley pack but the blues might need a magical game from him in future to spark a more compelling performance by the side. BELFAST PUSHED Burnside did well to lead Belfast, 3-0, at half-time but once the Belfast forwards hit their hopples in the second spell there was no doubt whatsoever-which side was going to win. For most of the first half Burnside held a" territorial advantage and the side fully deserved its three-point advantage at half-time, the points coming from a David Farrant penalty goal shortly before the interval. Penalties greatly favoured Burnside during the match but most of them were outside of Farrant's range. After half-time Belfast brought more urgency to its play. Il scored a quick try. which was converted by John Freeman, to take the lead and although Burnside soon equalised with another penalty the result was never in doubt. Belfast scored three more tries and a penalty to record, on paper at least, a comfortable win, Belfast's second-half dominance stemmed from a strong if inconsistent forward effort, with Bill Bush and the big No. 8, Andy Karatea, setting up good secondphase ball for the backs. Wayne Smith figured in some good runs and his kicking was tidy and penetrative. . Burnside never stopped trying to run the ball, even when under pressure. Farrant stood out for his soundness, especially for some good takes of the high ball. For a time it looked as if Burnside was in with a chance but Belfast was able to apply pressure al the vital moments. EXPERIENCE TELLS

Linwood’s experience and expertise in the rucks and scrums was the telling factor in its win against Hornby at Denton Oval. The side scored two good tries by making the pressure count and the quickness of mind of the backs also helped. In addition, Rod Latham was in superb kick-

ing form both at goal and for the line. Linwod led, 18-3. at half-time. In the second-half, Hornby for a time found fresh life ’ and moved the ball quickly through its back line. But the Linwood defence was equal to the challenge. It was from one of these attacks that the Linwood winger. Les Davidson, toed and dribbled the ball for more than 80m to score in the corner. Hornby looked most dangerous in broken play but often players ran too far or had handling lapses. To add to the woes, the first five-eighths. John Catchpole, had the kicking blues. He ruined several reasonable penalty chances. But Hornby stuck to its task. The pack; especially in the tight, grew in stature as the second half progressed, much to Linwood’s surprise. For Linwood. Mike Fransen and Mark Bruce toiled hard while in the backs, Alex Stewart was a constructive counter-at-tacker from full-back and fielded the high ball safely. Latham was all class at first five-eighths. For Hornby, the wings, Willie Pirini and Kevin Cuff, were full of running and were always eager for work. Catchpole distributed the ball well and his line kicking was of a high standard. In the forwards, the flanker, Alan Laugesen stood, out for his non-stop effort. He was close to scoring on two occasions. CLOSE MATCH A fine side-line penalty two minutes from time by Brent Nichol) brought the Sydenham score level with Albion’s after a close, exciting tussle. The first half was all Albion's. The forwards controlled the lineouts and were quick to the loose ball and the backs ran sharply and with confidence. Sydenham was continually on the defensive and only some desperate defence kept the score to 4-0.

The second spell was a reverse of the first. Although still beaten in the line-out, the Sydenham forwards played with great authority in the tight and loose while the backs, with a greater share of possession, began to put pressure on their opponent. There was some exciting play in this half. Albion scored a good try after one of its few forays out of its own half but Sydenham kept plugging away and onlysound defence and handling errors denied it the lead.

For Albion. Ralph Robertson was an efficient half-back and

outside him Ainsley Quested had his usual solid game. The wing, Steve Harrison, showed speed and determination. Murray Straight, Richard Matheson, and Richard Kennedy were the best of the forwards. Allan Duffin led his Sydenham forwards and his team by example and sound support came from Peter Bond and Malcolm Mehlhopt. Beind a scrum, Simon Bloomberg had a good game and Brent Nicholl, besides landing three fine penalty goals, played soundly. Brett Oetgen had one of his better games, defending well and running positively. EIGHT TRIES Abysmal tackling and a surfeit of possession allowed the Univerity A backs to run riot against Suburbs at Ham. University scored eight tries, some of them easy. Had the goalkicking of Mark Liddicoat been more accurate, the score could well have passed the half-cen-turv.

Suburbs could make only occasional forays out of it’s own territory and the team's collapse in form after solid displays in recent weeks had supporters mystified.

Aided by the poor Suburbs tackling, Mia Toa and Vic Simpson looked swift and dangerous in mid-field for University, frequently wrong-footing the defence by switching play. Simpson had a personal tally of three tries and Toa one. Doug Sharland had a dream game behind a University pack which, once it was wound up, constantly rolled the opposition back. David Blue, at No. 8, and Geoff Hipkins, on the flank, had fine games for University in broken play and in securing the loose ball. The University lock, Ross Paniora was the pick of the tight forwards on either side: The flanker. Barry White, and front-rower Mike Taylor, before they retired injured, were the best of a Suburbs pack which faded fast, having never really got going. George Humm did his best to rally the players during his usual 80 minutes effort but to no avail, and for the last quarter of the match Suburbs disputed possession in only a half-hearted manner. Apart from demonstrating an unwillingness to tackle, the Suburbs backline had little to do because it got so little ball.

It was a clean and open game, however, thanks to University A s willingness to use the abundance of possession it won in an entertaining fashion.