Rugby titles mooted

Press, 12 April 1983, Page 40

Rugby titles mooted

PA Auckland An international rugby championship between the two top provincial teams of New Zealand and Australia is advocated by the Queensland manager, Terry Doyle. Mr Doyle arrived in Auckland yesterday to see all was in order for the Queensland team’s arrival on Thursday and to prepare for the match against Counties, at Pukekohe on Saturday. “I know I can speak for Sydney and ourselves as the two major rugby unions in Australia that an international championship between the two top teams of each country would be a big thing,” he said. “I was here two years ago and got a good response from Canterbury, Wellington and Auckland but nothing has happened, it has all bogged down.” After Queensland’s 24-48 loss to Fiji in Suva last Saturday Mr Doyle is looking for a better performance against Counties. “The Fiji squad was well trained and turned on the real old type of running rugby,” he said. Mr Doyle sees the Counties match as the first big one of the season. He said Queensland’s coach, Bob Templeton, was going through a rebuilding period. The Wallabies, Mark Loane and Peter McLean, had retired; Tony Darcy and Mike O’Connor had gone to Sydney league; Paul McLean was also in retirement but according to Mr Doyle may come back later in the season. Mr Doyle will go on to Christchurch to order rugby playing gear from a subsidiary of Lane Walker Rudkin. “It’s the best gear in the world,” he said. “We have looked at all the major producers and in the terms of price and quality it is superb stuff.”