Plenty of props

Press, 24 June 1981, Page 25

Plenty of props

By

KEVIN McMENAMIN

No-one would doubt that the Canterbury rugby selectors. Gerald Wilson and Neil Cornelius, face a tough challenge in putting together a winning team this year.

There have been glowing ” reports about how well the ■ side played on its short Australian tour in April, but any ' team is only as good as its < last performance and Canterbury's display against Scotland left a lot to be desired.

It remains to be seen what, if any, changes will be made for the next game, against Marlborough at Blenheim on July 8, but one position about which there need be few worries is prop. Canterbury has a. reputation for producing good, strong props and they are certainly about in ample supply at the moment.

There are at least five who would not be out of place in the Canterbury scrum and one or two others who are lacking only in experience.

Yet even with this depth of strength it is to be hoped that John Ashworth will be available for the full season.

His back remains as straight

as ever, even when he has to < contend with a Scotsman > packing down on an awkward angle.

Murray Davie has a knee injury to" overcome before he

can feel confident about reestablishing himself as the first choice for the tight-head side.

His chief opponent. Pat O'Byrne. does not seem to have been playing quite so well in recent games and a more formidable rival might be the indefatigible Bill Bush. Bush is still an outstanding prop at scrum, lineout and maul: the only question is whether at 32 he can get from one to the other smartly enough.

Rob Mclntosh has been in favour in the early representative squads this season and he also made the tour to Australia. He is an immensely strong prop, but obviously still has much to learn.

One of the best young props Canterbury has had in years was Neil Porter, but unfortunately he had to shift to Hawke's Bay this year to find a suitable teaching job. However, Richard Loe and Ken Smith are two colts who should be ready for Canterbury A in a year or two.

Smith was one of the best of the Canterbury Colts forwards last winter and he has been playing very well for Merivale-Papanui this year. Smith could have a bright

future: he has size and strength and his workrate is exceptional. The Christchurch pair. Gordon Smith, although injured at present, and Mike Cron, would undoubtedly be representative material in any other province and John Mika, who pops up all over the Christchurch scrum, could probably make a top prop if he concentrated on the position. - -

There are also a number of very good club props—men like Denis Skipper (Merivale-Papanui), Terry Petersen (Marist), John Edmondson (University A), and the Sydenham youngster, Stephen Schultz.

However, if a vote was taken among senior props as to the opponent they respect most the winner would probably be a name not as yet mentioned. The choice could well be Linwood's Rue Koha.

Koha is regarded by many senior players as the prop who is the yardstick by which others are measured.

"If you can survive against Koha then you must be okay; anyone who can outscrummage him is immediately in the champion class." says one senior player of long experience.