Five Wallaby players in doubt over tour

Press, 15 January 1982, Page 22

Five Wallaby players in doubt over tour

NZPA staff correspondent Sydney The Wallaby captain, Tony Shaw, has thrown down the gauntlet to the All Blacks. After the disappointing results of their British tour, the Australians were keen to get to New Zealand “to get a few wins under the belt,” he said yesterday.

“But the All Blacks will obviously be after our hides after our wins over them. They will be very pleased to see us there,” he said from

his Brisbane home yesterday. Shaw said the Australians regarded the 14-match tour of New Zealand later this year as very important, coming as it did after the British tour which saw the Australians win only one of four tests. It is another big year for Australian rugby, for as well as the 14-match, three-test tour of New Zealand starting on July 28 with a game against Taranaki, there is a nine-match, two-test tour by Scotland starting on June 10. Shaw said it was too early to say if he would definitely be available for the New Zealand tour. “I hope to be but we had a big year last season and then with the three and a half months away in Britain it has meant a lot of time away from work. “Also it is the Queensland centenary year and we have a big season. I’ll know for sure later in the year,” he said.

Shaw, one of Australia’s most capped players, was uncertain how many of the Wallabies who toured Britain would be available for New Zealand. But reports indicated that at least five of the touring party would be dropping out. The veteran half-back,

John Hipwell, and No. 8 Greg Cornelson, said on their arrival from Britain that they would not tour New Zealand. Hipwell said he would like to play against Scotland but time would not allow it, while Cornleson said he could not afford the time away from his farm to play any representative rugby. The prop, Declan Curran, also said business commitments would prevent him touring New Zealand if selected, while the veteran prop, Stan Pilecki, was also unlikely for New Zealand. Pilecki has played 99 games for Queensland and is expected to keep up this season with the Maroons to crack the century for the state team. Rugby league appears to have nabbed only one of the Wallaby team, the centre Mitchell Cox, who is expected to join North Sydney next w'eek in a three-year deal reportedly worth sAust7s,ooo ($NZ102,000). The outstanding Australian No. 8 Mark Loane, who returned to the Australian team last year after furthering his medical career in South Africa, has now reconsidered his earlier decision not to tour New Zealand in, the winter.