Rugby youth Linwood's hopes dashed on last day of season

Press, 20 August 1982, Page 22

Rugby youth Linwood's hopes dashed on last day of season

On a gloriously balmy morning of early spring, with the prospect of watching a test match in the afternoon, junior rugby players entered their final competition matches for the season with more than the usual fervour last Saturday. One side to have special motivation in its last match was Linwood, 'in the sixth grade. Linwood needed to beat St Thomas’s College in its final “top four" match to take second place in the competition. According to their coach. lan Mallard, the former Linwood senior stalwart, the Linwood boys have tried throughout the season to play a running, passing game with a 15-man involvement. Thev have scored 44 tries this season. 36 of them through the backs. Risks have been taken with the free-flowing style, and the side has had quite a few points scored against it. But it has persevered with open rugby and has done well to finish in the top four in the grade, along with the best school first XVs. Linwood is well served in the inside backs by Stephen Baehup and Alan Smith, both representative players this season. Stephen Brandon', the centre, has scored more than 90 points despite missing a few games and Philip Mackley. a wing, has scored 12 tries.

The most improved forward is Tim Welsh, the hooker, but not far behind him in that regard is Dale Harris, a lock in his first year of rugby. Tony Wells, the half-back, has been a’ tremendous competitor and a key player in the side.

Ross Langford has been an outstanding captain. The boys have rallied behind him throughout the season, their fine discipline accounting for much of the team's success. The side has played an utterly clean brand of rugby, recognised in writing by some of the school sides who sometimes receive rough treatment from club teams.

The highlight of Linwood’s season was its 16-14 win over St Bede’s College, which won the first XV title, and the competition at large. St Bede’s had beaten Linwood by the same margin in the first game of the season.

Last Saturday, however. Linwood’s hopes of finishing second in the competition were dashed by St Thomas's. Down 3-9 with only a few minutes to play, St Thomas's was inspired by the sideline exhortations of one of its coaches. Laurie O’Reilly.

“Score under the posts!" Mr O’Reillv commanded. "Do it!"

Within 30 the s j<je was over for a u although not under the posts« n( j ,t re p ea ted the effort shortl hfter stephen Price converted , th trie £ t 0 help sweep St Thom.; s t 0 a 15-9 victory. \

Both tries were sp^ e( j an( j completed by forwards,,j t h t he outstanding No. 8. John v>Caw being the prime mover time.

Apart from McCaw and Pf* St Thomas's has other til players in the props, Tony Ahern and Chris O’Reilly, the lock. Mark Thompson, and the flankers. Tony MacDonald and Nick Flood. Rod Meachen and Grant' Cowan in midfield. Mike Parish at full-back, and John Donnelly on the right wing make up the core of a good back line. St Thomas’s has done exceptionally well in its debut season in the grade. Another side with a special interest in its last game was Burnside in the 10th grade. Burnside needed to beat Shirley to take the title outright, otherwise it would share it with its opponent.

Paul Chamberlain has been an outstanding full-back for Burnside, and Chris Forbes a nuggety wing. Philip Newman. ISli stone at the age of 14, has the skill to go with his size. The hooker, Greg Smith, is a tight-head specialist, small and silverheeled.

These Burnside boys have been together for six years, and have been competition winners in five of those, illustrating the kind of depth' in the club that has now made its senior team such a strong force. For Shirley. Keith Langley is a very strong runner at centre, and Michael Wilson an outstanding half-back. Langley teams well inmidfield with Dale Thompson.

The forwards are strong in the loose through Darren ORourke and Grant Day, and also in the tight through the efforts of the props. Callum McKinnon and Michael Reriti.

In a 17th grade match on Saturday, Merivale-Papanui met Sydenham. Geoffrey Hogg and Jonathan Hurrell have been outstanding for Merivale and Mark Stanbury has shown good handling skills. The hooker, Aaron Webb, has shown a lot of heart, has taken a vast number of tightheads, and has contributed 89 points for the season.

Brendan McCrorie and Carl Lidstone have improved steadily while David Taylor has put in sterling work at prop. Nicholas Tait, with 27 tries.

has scored over 100 points for Sydenham; and the second fiveeighths, Stephen Fleming, has also hit the century of points mark. Jamie Dumergue has played well, Wayne Chapman has toiled ceaselessly, and Mark Hunter has been a good, harddriving forward. Danny Clancy and Mark Sutton have always applied themselves diligently. In seventh-grade play on Saturday, Albion met MerivalePapanui and Linwood met Xavier College. For Albion. Brett Aldridge and Gmy Sloan have been fine loose t°»ards while Graeme HopkinSmyth and Gary Cheat havevceiied in the backs. Gary Worthfjton an d Craig Guiney have m rove( j markedly during the seas, a [ on g w jth K ev j n Field and’>j c ( lart j K umar . For Dean stephenson has sho n promise on the wing. Wayne-gjiagiier j ias j m . proved at , half . back, and Gai Lawson has ■ kicked well frtn first fiveeighths. Michael kr nett in his first season, looks sir o , greater things in the forwart. 8 Craig Martin, Graen> Vincent and Dale Cleghorn ha e been valuable, hard-working pavers. Linwood features the taßqts if Patrick Goggin, the first 'iva eighths, Neil Connell, the captart and No. 8, and Edward Holmes,' a prop who is a good scrummager. Michael Richards, at centre, and the half-back. Graeme Baehup. have, shown promise while Jeff Scot has been a great battler at lotk. Malcolm Hendry, a flatter and the smallest boy in the tear), has shown a “ton of heart." Tne Xavier side had a good start to the season, winning all of its first round matches but since then it has suffered something of a lapse in form. Jamie Flynn has been a very good half-back, Alan Harding a good goal-kickef, and Richard Staveley a promising hooker. Stephen Toneycliffe has been one of the best line-out jumpers in the grade. Chris Ashton and Tim Swain have always put in a lot of good work in the tight. The Lincoln High School first XV thoroughly confirmed its newly-won fine" reputation with a 33-3 win last Friday’ over the Taieri High. School, one of the fop school sides in the Dunedin area.

With hitherto “minor" rugby schools such as Lincoln’ and St Thomas’s producing such fine' teams, Canterbury rugby looks to be in good heart for some years to come.