Marist edges closer to Cup rugby title

Press, 27 June 1983, Page 20

Marist edges closer to Cup rugby title

A strong secona-nait performance, based on running the ball away from the bigger Shirley forwards, enabled Marist to hold its place at the top of the C.S.B. Cup senior rugby competition on Saturday. The other leading teams all had wins on Saturday, but Marist has the easier sides to play in the remaining three rounds of the Cup series and must be warmly favoured to win this trophy. Its opponents over the next three weeks are Hornby, Christchurch, and Suburbs, all of which are in the bottom eight at present. University A was fortunate to hold its equal second place. Time was almost up when Andrew McMaster converted a try by Dale Atkins to give University A a 10-9 win over Albion. Belfast, the side sharing second place with University A, had a clear-cut win over Lincoln College, thanks to its first five-eighths, Kieran Keane, who kicked four dropped goals. It was the first time that anyone has kicked more than three dropped goals in a club match in Christchurch. Gary Cookson kicked High School Old Boys to victory against Sydenham in a fine match. Cookson kicked six penalty goals to take his aggregate for the season to 134, and a lead of three points over Andrew McMaster (University A) on the individual scoring list. Saturday’s top scorer, however, was not Cookson, but Neil McKay, the Suburbs fullback, who scored 22 of his team’s 26 points, 12 of them from tries. After 40 consecutive losses, University B finally had a win. It got home, 9-8, against Meri-vale-Papanui and the University players could not have been more delighted had they won the championship.

They even had a false start to their celebrations when they misread a long blast on the whistle as signalling the end of the match. Instead they were being penalised, but the score stayed unchanged. It was a day of kicking duels, the closest being at Lancaster Park South. New Brighton's trusty Dave Bowick kicked a penalty goal, his fourth, in the final minute to give his side a 12-9 win over Linwood. Christchurch, which is in grave danger of missing its customary place in the top eight for the C.S.B. Trophy series, improved its chances with a surprise win over Burnside. It achieved this in spite of having two men in the sin bin at one stage to one of Burnside’s forwards. Christchurch played the more consistent rubgy, and its cause was aided by Paul McEwan, the New Zealand cricketer, who last appeared in the rugby limelight when he potted a goal for Christchurch in the 1975 grand final. Christchurch is now equal eighth on the table, with a slightly inferior differential than Shirley, the side it is equal with. The first five teams for the top eight are fairly well defined. But there are eight in contention for the last three places. The Cellar Ghost “players of the day” were Grant Mickell (Shirley) at Lancaster Park and Keane at Rugby Park. Points:

Marist 10, Shirley 3 Marist: G. McWhirter and P. Emery tries; McWhirter conversion. Shirley: H. Thomas dropped goal. Referee: Mr T. F. Doocey. A second-half tactic of moving the ball wide and making the Shirley forwards run paid handsome dividends for Marist in the main match at Lancaster Park. Shirley, through its big and industrious forwards, completely dominated the first half. Its only return was a long dropped goal by the left wing, Hillary Thomas, but tries and goals were only just missed several times. After half-time Marist moved all the ball it got through its backs, and even attacked from deep inside its

own half. Two very goon tries were scored in the process, and, just as important, the tight grip the Shirley forwards had on the match was lifted. Towards the finish Marist was winning a lot of ruck ball and it used this possession well to run the Shirley forwards further into the ground. This was an excellent game, with players on both sides making favourable impressions. The Shirley locks, Kerry and John Mitchell, were both outstanding in the line-outs and the No. 8, Grant Mickell, was at the head of some of the best drives. The Shirley support play was also of a high order in the first half and Marist might wonder how it was that it trailed by just three points at half-time. Adrian Young returned to his former position, in place of an injured Steve Baker, behind the Marist scrum and his long passes were a great help to the Marist cause as it strove to open the play up. The backs all ran well, none better than Steve Hansen, and Marist’s second try was the end product of a superb piece of rugby in which support for the ballcarrier never faltered. Colin Williamson played a sound game at first fiveeighths for Shirley, but the backs outside him were inclined to run across field. Thomas’s dropped goal, from nearly 40m, was magnificently struck, and he was a hard man to stop with the ball in hand. Bernie Ryan and Greg Hills served Marist well when it was undder a lot of pressure in the first half and Paul Emery, who was filling in at hooker, took two tightheads at vital times and applied himself diligently in the tight. University A 10, Albion 9 University A: C. McDowell, D. Atkins tries; A. McMaster conversion. Albion: B. Woodward two penalty goals, dropped goal. Referee: Mr A. R. Taylor. A converted try, scored by the replacement forward, Dale Atkins, two minutes from the finish saved University A from what would have been an embarrassing loss. At the same time Albion could feel badly done by. It had the better of the first half, in which it took the play to University A with a succession of strong forward rushes and the backs, too, ran hard at their opponents. The full-back, Bryce Woodward, one of several late additions to the Albion side because of injuries and illnesses, gave his side a 9-0 lead at halftime from two long penalty goals and a dropped goal. University A spent more time on attack in the second half, but at no stage did the team play well and the forwards were very sluggish. The

one exception was Atkins, who replaced Colin Currie midway through the first half. Atkins made a number of bullocking runs which had the Albion defence straining at the seams. The defence survived each test until the final one, when Atkins ran on to a ball that bounced untidily from a line-out and with just two men in his path he was unstoppable. The only other University A player to stand out was the full-back, Andrew McMaster, who gave the backline much needed thrust whenever he joined it and his general play bore the stamp of competence. University A experienced a lot of problems close to the scrum. Indifferent handling was one of the causes, but so, too, was the quick breaking of the Albion loose forwards, Shane Adair and lan Kennedy. Russell Matheson and Murray Straight were other prominent forwards in an Albion pack which in most areas had a definite edge on its rival. In the line-outs, especially, almost all the best takes, with the exception of throws to Atkins at the back, were on the Albion side. Not for the first time in recent weeks University A gave the impression of thinking it can play below its best and still win. It was very lucky to get there this time. Belfast 18, Lincoln College 0. Belfast: M. Vincent two penalty gaols, K. Keane four dropped goals. Referee: Mr E. Apted (Queensland). Belfast deserved to win the main match at Rugby Park, but a margin of 18 points in a tryless encounter was somewhat flattering, for Lincoln certainly did its share of attacking. Lincoln College had 56 per cent of all possession, attributable in part to extraordinary line-out success in the early stages of the match. Anthony Dalzell and Gregg Sparrow jumped so well that Lincoln College had 10 clean line-out wins before conceding one. But an inability to break Belfast’s mid-field defence, and Kieran Keane’s spectacular success with drop-kicks, kept Belfast comfortably in front. Both sides made frequent attempts to open up the play, but there were many breakdowns through handling and passing errors. The match was won, perhaps, by the Belfast forwards who were stronger than the College eight, and who drove with spirit and skill. Belfast was especially impressive in the rolling maul. Jack Oldridge covered proficiently. In the backs, Keane played with cool competence, and further out there was some aggressive running by Mardy Vincent and Mark Burns. Sparrow and Dalzell were fine forwards for Lincoln, and the half-back Peter Ryan came through a difficult day with his reputation enhanced. His service, under pressure, was seldom at fault. The outside backs made repeated efforts, but lacked the punch to break a dedicated and industrious defence. Old Boys 22, Sydenham 15 Old Boys: D. Park try, G. Cookson six peanlty goals, Sydenham: K. Flynn try. D. Couch dropped goal, B. Nicoil conversion and two penalty goals. Referee: Mr G. Anderson. There was everything to enjoy in the early match at Rugby Park — swift and accurate passing, aggressive running, diligent support play, and stout defence, by both sides. Although each side scored only one try, this was one of the season’s club spectacles. Sydenham, near the bottom of the table, contributed fully as much to the spectators’ pleasure as Old Boys, who are close to the top. Sydenham was unlucky to lose John Arbuckle with a broken jaw and Terry Flynn with a broken ankle. The halfback’s position vacated by Flynn was filled by a flank forward, Grant Bull, with considerable distinction. Although Sydenham won an early line-out ascendancy through some athletic leaping by Wayne Wilson, Old Boys had 55 per cent of all posses-

sion and produced some lilting movements. But Sydenham was quick to counter-attack, even from its own goal-line, and there was some splendid entertainment from two sides intent on running the ball. Sydenham’s seasoned front row — Malcolm Melhopt, Bernie Ryan and Steve Schultz — provided the foundation for a spirited performance by the Sydenham forwards, with Allan Duffin and Mark Rhodes producing a very high work rate. Terry Flynn, then Bull, gave their backs good service. Again Keiran Flynn at centre and the strong-running Brett Nicoll stood out. Old Boys owed its line-out parity, over the whole match, largely to Steve Walker; and the other outstanding forward was Ken Pope, although he was little ahead of the others for commitment. Phil Thomas’s service from the base of the scrum was immaculate, and James Leggat outside him looked very capable in everything he did. Gary Cookson missed an attempted conversion with the match not much more than a minute old. Thereafter, he kicked six goals in seven attempts, with apparent ease. Suburbs 26, Hornby 13 Suburbs: N. McKay 3, C. Taylor tries; McKay two conversions, two penalty goals. Hornby: N. Wilson, W. Pirini tries; S. Bloomfield conversion, penalty goal. Referee: Mr T. R. Marshall. The way Suburbs started at Denton Oval, it looked to be headed for a huge score, but Hornby stuck to its task, harried its opponent, and produced two very good tries of its own. The power and control of the Suburbs pack in the opening minutes was almost awesome, and the impending try came quickly, Neil McKay scooting in on the blindside after a ruck. But Suburbs’ next try came almost on half time, and was right against the run of play, after a period of strong pressure by Hornby. The dominating factor against Suburbs’ maintaining its early impetus was Neville Wilson’s harrying of Rob Risdon behind the Suburbs scrum.

In the second half, Tony Pugh was forced to play the ball from the back of scrums, in order to protect Risdon, and Pugh had to go on the short side where Hornby’s defence was well marshalled. Suburbs managed two tries in the second half, outflanking the defence after rucks. McKay, the full-back, again popped up in timely fashion to complete the movements. Hornby, however, visibly grew in confidence after half time, the backs making imaginative use of an increasing supply of possession. Wilson scored after a strong buildup, and the best came near the end, in the form of a brilliant sweeping movement which began inside Hornby’s 22. Willie Pirini completed it after several players had handled. Hornby’s man of the match was one of its locks, Phil Cross. He made some fine takes in line-outs, showed pace and excellent ball control in general play, and capped his performance by playing a dominant part in Hornby's second try. For Suburbs, Barry White played very well and Sam Creed performed usefully in the line-outs. But for the victor, it was a case of a brilliant beginning and a stuttering finish. University B 9, Merivale Papanui 8 University B: R. Morrison try; B. Timms conversion; B. Scott penalty goal. Meri-vale-Papanui: R. Smith, E. Goodhue tries. Referee: Mr H. R. Catherwood. A try late in the second half by the captain, Rob Morrison, and a conversion by Brent Timms gave University B the lead over Merivale-Papanui and when the final whistle blew seven minutes later the winning margin of one point was retained. Although Merivale scored two tries to University’s one, both were against the run of

play and University with an advantage in possession and territory fully deserved its win. The match, however, was not a great spectacle and was interesting only for the closeness of the scores. The skills one would normally expect from senior rugby were notably absent. Two players stood out in the University side. Stuart Goudie was a resourceful half-back who cleared the ball well, ran with fine judgment, and frequently caught his opposite from set play. Gerard Davison, a flank forward, had an extremely high work rate, was always on hand to carry the ball on from broken play, and tackled tenaciously. The backs were given impetus in the centre by the strong running of Paul Coghlan, while Mark Doyle was an efficent hooker and Rob Morrison led his forwards by example. Merivale-Papanui played poorly. The forwards ■ were lethargic and the backs played aimlessly, seldom putting the rather haphazard University defence under pressure. Christchurch 20, Burnside 15 Christchurch: L. losefa, V. de Beus, M. Treweek tries; G. Kench penalty goal, dropped goal, conversion. Burnside: K. Spratt, G. Wilke, G. Fuller tries; D. Farrant penalty goal. Referee: Mr R. B. Rudkin. Although it held the lead throughout the match, Christchurch was never sure whether it had pinned the unpredictable Burnside for a submission fall. At one stage in the second half Christchurch was ahead by 16-7 after Burnside had set up four try-scoring moves splendidly, only to botch three of them. Paradoxically, Burnside later scored two tries when neither the Christchurch players nor the Burnside supporters were expecting them. One of them was by the first

five-eighths, Glen Wilke, who ran with the ball from set play. That used to be a cardinal sin in this position. In the second half. too. there was some unpleasantness in the rucks, and Mr Rod Rudkin, the referee, sent both Mark Treweek (Christchurch) and Gary Fuller (Burnside) to the sin bin simultaneously. Soon after. John Mill (Christchurch) was asked to join them, and the lop-sided, 27-man encounter continued. The enforced spell seemed of benefit to Fuller and Treweek. as they each scored tries on their return. Treweek’s made the match safe for Christchurch, after it had sat nervously on a 16-15 lead. Christchurch toiled solidly, without ever getting within cooee of the magical try-scor-ing touches introduced by Bill Birtwistle in the 19605. Gordon Smith and Viv de Beus were reliable forwards in the tight, and Mill’s constructive efforts in loose play gave Christchurch a definite advantage. Graeme Kench used the leftfooted punt shrewdly to put Christchurch on attack, and there was some fluent punting and passing from his fiveeighths partner, Paul McEwan. Last sighted in senior rugby as far back as 1975, McEwan brought a little class to an often muddling encounter. The Burnside forwards pranced away from the firstnaif rucks like frightened fillies, and the coach, Mr lan Rodger, was moved to produce such deathless calls as “intimidation” and “eight men.” Eventually Burnside, led by Fuller and Danny McGuire, became more committed up front, and this encouraged Graeme Finiki and Mike Lake to try for the midfield breaks. They achieved several. Ray Genet chimed in from half-back with some lively runs. But although Mr Rodger was well prepared, with his tape-recorder and gumboots, his men, at the end, were still trying to get their act together. New Brighton 12, Linwood 9 New Brighton: D. Bowick four penalty goals. Linwood: R. T. Latham two dropped goals, penalty goal. Referee: Mr A. R. Bateman. A last-second penalty goal by the New Brighton full-back, Dave Bowick, gave his team a win and a valuable two points at Linwood’s expense at Lancaster Park South. For the second successive week, New Brighton played better in the second half when it had to battle into a strong wind. All New Brighton could manage in the first half was three penalty goals and Linwood managed six points itself. But when Linwood had the wind it was even more devoid of ideas than New Brighton had been in the first half. It was not helped by the unimaginative play by its first five-eighths, Rod Latham, who was obsessed - with kicking, whether it be drops at goal or to the sidelines. New Brighton kept play in Linwood’s territory for most of the second half and a fine rush in the closing minutes narrowly failed to bring a try to . Wayne Burleigh. However, New Brighton was given a penalty in a handy position on the call of time, and Bowick made no mistake. It was his fourth success from eight attempts. Dave Taylor was an inspiration to New Brighton, especially in the second half when he tidied up much loose play, and Peter McLaren and lan Boyce featured prominently in the many tight mauls. The fiveeighths, Burleigh and Mark Carrington, both had the ability to make breaks and they covered diligently. Mike Fransen was outstanding for Linwood in the lineouts and Gene Newman made several strong surges, but the Linwood back-line, hamstrung by Latham’s reluctance to pass the ball, had little chance to show its worth. The outside backs seemed upset by Latham’s approach.

W L D F A Pt Marist 11 1 0 213 95 22 Univ. A 10 1 1 313 121 21 Belfast 10 1 1 201 67 21 H.S.O.B. 9 3 0 246 144 18 New Bri 9 3 0 194 156 18 Burnside 6 5 1 272 119 13 Lin. Coll 6 5 1 233 156 13 Shirley 6 6 0 215 155 12 Chch 6 0 6 201 154 12 Albion 5 6 1 125 135 11 Suburbs 5 6 1 169 185 11 Linwood 5 7 0 144 155 10 Syden 1 10 1 138 286 3 Mer-Pap. 1 10 1 113 273 3 Hornby 1 11 0 89 332 2 Univ. B 1 11 0 66 399 2