All Blacks’ opposition likely to be toughest outside tests

Press, 28 October 1981, Page 48

All Blacks’ opposition likely to be toughest outside tests

NZPA staff correspondent Strasbourg With the diversion of a first international against Rumania behind them, a very tough game and far from ideal conditions awaits the All Blacks .when they begin their tour of France at Strasbourg tomorrow.

The two-match Rumanian tour had a certain novelty value and the opposition was worthwhile but' with the first of the eight games in France the tour really, starts.

The French selectors have already shown-how seriously they regard the tour by picking selection teams that will test the All Blacks and probe their weaknesses before the two internationals.

Any chances of a repeat of the 45-3 win the 1977 All Blacks enjoyed at Brive at the start of the first full tour of France seem extremely remote tomorrow.

Indeed the game is one that the New Zealanders will probably be pleased simply to win.

The selected All Black XV, of whom two — the centre, Arthur Stone, and the prop, Paul Koteka — are making their debuts, will be required to play under floodlights against a strong opposition which is sure to be highly motivated. To accustom themselves to the' lighting the All Blacks will train .at the match venue tonight. However, the circumstances are still likely to be difficult.

Strasbourg, .on the border between France and Germany, is a rather strange place to start a tour because it is largely a non-rugby playing area. The battle between a vir-

tual French second XV and a weakened All Black side is one that could more properly be waged in the heart of French rugby in the south. The All Blacks go into the game resting several players who took part in the Rumanian international and weakened by the temporary loss of the captain, Graham Mourie, and Murray Mexted — two players with a first hand knowledge of French rugby. Their influence could have been invaluable in carrying the All Blacks through what is bound to be a storming start by the Frenchmen. The French selection comprises players who missed being picked to play for France against Rumania, at Narbonne on November 1. Twelve of them have played for France in the past and their motivation is simply to prove to the French selectors that they should be picked for the internationals against New Zealand on November 14 and 21.

The entire French selec? tion backline has played for France, and the All Blacks, who have won many of their tougher games in recent years through superior backs, may find themselves in the ironic situation of relying on their forwards.

The French team has five internationals among its for-

wards, but over all, they appear weaker than the team’s star-studded backs.

By way of contrast, the All Black pack, even missing Mourie and Mexted, is still a strong combination with the lock, Andy Haden, the flankers Frank Shelford and Mark Shaw, and the No. 8 Geoff Old, all taking the field for the third time on tour. With Brian McKechnie at first five-eighths, and two relatively inexperienced fiveeighths in Steven Pokere and Stone outside him, the New Zealanders may opt to keep the game rather tighter than might normally be the case. With the present cold and wet conditions in France, conditions could be favourable for a winning result with that style of play. The 21-year-old Stone, whose outstanding displays in Waikato’s Ranfurly Shield side shot him to national prominence, will, with Pokere, be confronted by the well-established international pair of Didier Codorniou and the very promising Pierre Chadebeck. Codorniou’s small size has him out of favour with the French selectors at present but he has been rated by at least one observer, a French rugby writer, Denis Lalanne, as the best centre threequarter in Europe.

Codorniou, who played his first test against New Zealand in 1979, now has 11 caps.

Chadebeck was one of the outstanding discoveries of the 1980-81 French season. He won a place on the JuneJuly tour of Australia with a series of brilliant performances for France Juniors against England, Scotland, Wales and Japan. The battle between the two French centres and the two highly promising but relatively inexperienced Maoris, Stone and Pokere, will be an interesting feature of what is likely to be the All Blacks’ toughest game in France outside the two test matches. The main task for the All Blacks will be to stem a probably storming and impassioned start by the Frenchmen and then to take a tight grip on proceedings. The game starts at 8 a.m. tomorrow (N.Z. time). The teams are.— French selection: Marc Sallefranque; Michel Bruel, Pierre Chadebeck, Didier Codorniou, Laurent Pardo, Bernard Vivers; Pierre Berbizier; Dominique Erbani; Roland Petrissans (captain), Jean-Marc Cordier, Alain Maleig, Manuel Carpentier; Daniel Dubroca, Bernard Herrero, Armand Vaquerin. New Zealand: Alan Hewson; Stu Wilson, Arthur Stone, Steve Pokere, Fred Woodman, Brian McKechnie; Dave Loveridge; Frank Shelford; Geoff Old, Mark Shaw, Andy Haden, Gary Whetton; John Spiers, Andy Dalton (captain), Paul Koteka. Rserves: Andrew Donald, Doug Rollerson, Bernie Fraser, Hika Reid, Wayne Neville, Jock Ross.