Lions beat Manawatu, 25-18, in stern tussle

Press, 30 May 1983, Page 17

Lions beat Manawatu, 25-18, in stern tussle

NZPA staff correspondent Palmerston North There were times during Saturday’s match between Manawatu and the British Lions, won 25-18 by the tourists, when the Lions coach, Jim Telfer, could have peeked timidly through his fingers and cried, “Oh, what are we doing wrong?” There were others, unfortunately few, when he could have leapt and announced: “At last, we’re getting it right.” Telfer, however, is not a man prone to open displays of emotion and he watches every match with the gumchewing immobility of the best British soccer coaches. At an after-match press conference he was willing only to consider the reasons for such reactions and admit that seven days before the first test against New % Zealand, his team is still' doing things only half-right. “I thought ours was a reasonable performance,” he said. “The wind made things very difficult and over all we coped with it well. I thought we showed good character to come back again at the end although we obviously have some very hard work in store before the test match. There are still a lot of problems there.” The Lions’ main problem on Saturday was Manawatu, which, emulating the spirit which surrounded the halcyon days of its Ranfurly Shield tenure, gave the Lions one of the hardest matches of their tour. It was no easy match, and a week before the first test, the Lions had not expected one. They had granted Manawatu as much if not more respect than that side’s most partisan followers and found, in a torrid 80 minutes, that their deference to the home side was well founded.

“I thought Manawatu played very, very well,” Mr Telfer said. “They were very good scrummagers, their line-out technique was very good — and we had a lot of problems there and

their backs impressed me. They were young, and I was told not up to much, but if I was their coach, I would be proud of their performance.” No-one was more proud than the Manawatu captain and half-back, Mark Donaldson. In an emotional address after the match the well performed former All Black said: “To my backs I would like to say I am proud of you ... very, very proud. “I am proud of your performance today and proud to play at the start of such a fine back-line. You can be personally proud of your performances today, each and every one of you. I think your names are destined ' to become great names in the future of New Zealand rugby.” Perhaps the Lions had been affected by the scant publicity accorded Manawatu’s back-line before the match, in spite of Mr Telfer’s assertion that he takes no side lightly. The tourists seemed dumbfounded in the match’s early stages by the power of ( the home side’s forwards and the determination of the backs. Down 3-9 at halftime, scrambling into a strong and chilling southerly, the Lions had been unable to settle and construct their game. It was not until the fortyfourth minute that they were able to achieve parity on the scoreboard and not until the fifty-fourth minute that they first took the lead. Even then they relinquished it and it was not until the sixty-seventh minute, when the Irish wing, Trevor Ringland, scored the second of his two fine tries, that they were able to achieve an advantage they could maintain. Not only Manawatu’s spirit emulated the days of its Ranfurly Shield reign. The forwards’ performance reminded spectators of the days in which they were rightly called the best forward pack in New Zealand. The backs, in difficult conditions, in the most important match of their respective careers, were even better

than the Shield-days seven. Only Donaldson and the wily left-wing, Ken Granger, were part of that Shield back-line. Their fleetfooted teammates, the first five-eighths, Matene Love, excluded, are all little more than a season out of their high school first fifteens. All played with poise and confidence belying their youth, none more so than the full-back, Mark Finlay. As a schoolboy last year, Finlay had made his international debut against Mark Ella’s Wallabies. Aware of his inexperience, Ella had made sure Finlay’s introduction to top-class rugby was an unpleasant one. Matured by the experience, Finlay on Saturday set about retrieving his reputation. His personal contribution of 15 points, which included a try and a superb

long-distance drop goal, heralded his coming of age.

Love’s third-minute dropped goal, Finlay’s effort from 40m 22 minutes later, and his first penalty goal — replied to by the Lions’ place-kicking maestro, Ollie Campbell — secured Manawatu’s half-time lead. Manawatu had been called on, when the Lions’ captain, Ciaran Fitzgerald, won the toss, to play first with the blustering southerly at its backs. The wind had been no friend, whipping passes from players’ hands, and wafting line-out ball from waiting jumpers. It had posed a testing tactical problem because, as much as it assisted the raking up-and-under, it hampered basic efficiency. Throwers to the line-out were forced to compensate for its vagaries and, while

Murray Kosenbrook, Frank Oliver, and Geoff Old played creditably for Manawatu and Robert Norster, Maurice Colclough, and lan Paxton for the Lions, line-outs led most frequently to infringements and to scrums.

Those scrums in turn were evenly contested, neither side conceding ball on the loose-head. With possession from set play shared, the battle for second-phase ball became a keen one and one which led to the allegation by the touring manager, Willie John Mcßride, of overvigorous rucking by Manawatu. The wind forced a heavy tactical burden on the halfbacks and fly-halves especially and although Manawatu scored only nine points with

the wind at its backs and the Lions 22, Manawatu used it more effectively. Campbell’s match tactically was not an outstanding one, although the pinpoint accuracy of his goalkicking, combined with Ringland’s two tries, was a big part of the Lions’ win. Showing an opportunist streak at which his halting performances earlier in the tour had not hinted, Ringland snatched a try in the fourth minute of the second half to level the scores at 99 and one 23 minutes later to give the Lions the lead after Manawatu had edged in front, 18-15. The Lions’ No. 8, Paxton, the recipient of three stitches and a swathe of bandages 1 after some Manawatu rucking, sealed the issue with his try in the match’s closing moments. As an expression of Manawatu’s national championship chances, the match was encouraging. As an expression Of the test chances of the Lions, however, Mr Telfer might well peek through his fingers. There are basic errors still to be corrected. Still the team is making harder work of provincial opposition than a test-winning side should do. Mr Telfer is confident yet that those problems can be corrected. On now to MidCanterbury. The test countdown begins. Scorers: British Isles 25 (Trevor Ringland, two, lain Paxton, Uries; Ollie Campbell, two penalties, two conversions, dropped goal). Manawatu 18 (Mark Finlay, try, two penalties, conversion, dropped goal, Matene Love, dropped goal).