Canterbury can expect determined Bay side

Press, 26 August 1982, Page 38

Canterbury can expect determined Bay side

From KEVIN McMENAMIN, in Hastings Catching Hawke’s Bay on the rebound from its unsuccessful Ranfurly Shield Challenge last. Saturday might not be altogether in Canterbury’s interests when the sides play their Lion national championship rugby match at Hastings this afternoon. The view that Hawke’s. Bay will still be down in the dumps over its narrow failure to relieve Wellington of this shield is countered by the argument that Hawke’s Bay is on the rise again as a rugby force and a bold performance today is vital to maintain its new-found sense of pride. The side has not had a lot of luck this year. It has won two of its four championship games (against Wairarapa— Bush and North Auckland), but had narrow losses to Counties and Wellington, and also to Queensland and Australia.

Today’s team contains just the one change from the one which challenged for the shield. The captain, Graeme Higginson, is back in Wellington preparing for Saturday’s test and his place at lock has been taken by Grant

Mitchinson. an experienced forward who has played close to 100 games in either the Wanganui or Hawke’s Bay colours. Higginson, all the same, is a huge loss, if only for his leadership qualities, a feature of his character which went largely unrecognised in his Canterbury years. Ricky Allen and Neil Porter are another two former Canterbury players well established in the Bay side.

Today’s full Hawkes Bay team is: Peter Dailey; Laurie Holmes, Allen, Ken Taylor, Mark Taylor, Brian Morris; Paul Blake; Ray Falcon; Peter Winterbottom, Peter Fulford, Mitchinson, Junior Paraha, . Porter, Gary Gregory, Richard Hunt. It is undoubtedly a side which has wide-ranging strengths, and Canterbury may need to be particularly wary, of the Bay’s English import, Winterbottom, who is confidently expected to be back in New Zealand next winter with the British Lions. Although not as droughtstricken as Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay has had little rain recently and the Hastings ground will be just as

hard as Lancaster Park has been for the last month.

This may lead to a late change in the Canterbury side. The Sheffield lock. Tony Thorpe, has a badly swollen ankle and he was unable to train yesterday. The swelling has gone down with treatment which included a paddle in the Napier surf, but it seems likely he will be kept for the Auckland game on Sunday, and Kerry Mitchell will be Albert Anderson’s partner today. Canterbury goes into today's match as the only first division side with a perfect record. Wellington, which has played one more game than Canterbury’s two, is also unbeaten, but it was held to a draw by Wairarapa-Bush early in the season. Canterbury has played well'enough in its two championship matches to date to suggest that' it can beat Hawke’s Bay, whatever the home side’s mood might be. But winning away from home has become increasingly difficult for Canterbury in recent years. If it can do so today, the championship title will come a good deal closer than merely a third win from as many games.