More than just a win needed by Canterbury

Press, 21 April 1982, Page 42

More than just a win needed by Canterbury

By

KEVIN McMENAMIN

Canterbury will be looking for more than just a win when it begins its 1982 rugby programme against Marlborough, at Lancaster Park this afternoon.

It will need to win handsomely if the sorry finish to last season — five losses in six games — is to be set aside and' a seed of ambition sown for a climb up the national ladder next year. Today will also mark the start of an important period in the footballing life of Canterbury’s . new selectorcoach, Alex Wyllie.

enough to see that any jitters are quickly quelled. Two of the new players are the wings, Garry Hooper and Bill Anderson, and they should be helped by having their Marist club-mate, Steve Hansen, at centre. The style of rugby Canterbury is going to play under Mr Wyllie remains to be seen, although Mr Wyllie has said publicly that the backs will be given every encouragement to run the ball. But no-one, least of all a forward of Mr Wyllie’s experience, is going to give the backs carte blanche until he knows (1) that they have confidence in their own ability and (2) that the forwards have already taken a measure of control.

Ranfurly Shield tucked away in Blenheim, was "the best little union in the country,” it rarely fails to produce a willing side and one Canterbury seldom puts down easily. Mr Wyllie, for one, will vividly remember the 1975 game when Marlborough sent shock waves round the country with a 41-17 win. He played that day. Today Marlborough has a fairly young side, although it contains only two new players. One is the lock, Frank Marfell, and the other is Richard Loe (a nephew of Mr Wyllie), who was a very promising Canterbury prop and had two games, while still a colt, for the A side in 1970.

As a player Mr Wyllie was a Canterbury great, an exceptional captain and a Very good All Black. All this is behind him and now he stacks it, to some extent, on what he can achieve as a provincial coach. According to the ‘.‘experts,’’ Mr Wyllie has not put a foot wrong so far. He called for trials, which as a new selector made him aware of the talent at his disposal, and he based his selections on trial form, not reputations. If one or two country players, of little known or questionable quality, have found their way into his squad the grumbles have been muted on the grounds that all selectors are entitled to play hunches with players, about whom they have special knowledge. Five new selections are included in today’s team and while it is a young side there is still a fair leavening of experience. The props, Bill Bush and John Ashworth, alone ensure this and Don Hayes, Steve Scott, Wayne Smith and Robbie Deans have all been around long

Don Symon, at lock, Kerry Flood, off the side of the scrum, and John Mills, at hooker, are the forwards making, their debuts today. All three are probably on trial for permanent places and there will be much interest in Symon’s usefulness as a ball-winner from the line-outs. If he proves a success in this area, Canterbury will, indeed, be off and running. Canterbury needs to derive every benefit it can from today’s game. It has an even bigger assignment in 10 days time against Queensland, and Queensland will be far better prepared in terms of early season matches.

Unfortunately for Marlborough two of its best players, the full-back, Brian Hunter, and the centre, Steve Marfell, were not available. The teams are.-

Canterbury: Robbie Deans; Garry Hooper, Steve Hansen, Bill Anderson, Craig Green,. Wayne Smith; Steve Scott; John Masefield; Kerry Flood, Don Syfnon, Albert Anderson, Don Hayes (captain); John Ashworth, John Mills. Bill Bush.

Marlborough: Peter Marfell; Brian Ford. Paul Phillips, Tony Hawke, lan McAlpine, Joe Gee; Alister Lash; Jim Love (captain); Joe Higgins, Frank Marfell, Grant Harrison, Geoff Bryant; Richard Loe, Kevin Sutherland. Ken Hart.

While gone are the days when Marlborough, with the

The game, to be refered by Mr M. L. Fitzgibbon, will begin at 2.30 p.m