‘Mainlanders’ progressing towards Kiwi selection

Press, 11 May 1984, Page 15

‘Mainlanders’ progressing towards Kiwi selection

By

JOHN COFFEY

It would not take a seamstress long to transform the jerseys of the Hornby and Runanga rugby league clubs into national uniforms. She would need only to attach Kiwi emblems to the familiar black and white designs.

For individual players seeking to advance from club to international status the step can be quite enormous. But the followers and the footballers of Hornby and Runanga can look ahead to the announcement of future New Zealand teams with more confidence than their counterparts at other southern clubs.

As the playing-through champions of Canterbury and the West Coast, it was not surprising that Hornby and Runanga should contribute a sizeable number of representatives to the South Island side for the Travelseekers inter-districts championship. Their fortunes in domestic competitions might not be running all that smoothly at present — Hornby recently lost to Linwood and Runanga won only one of its four fixtures in one-round series — but their players are thriving at first-class level.

Hornby’s contingent comprises Barry Edkins, Robin Alfeld and Marty Crequer, who all have test experience, and the front-row forwards, Ross Taylor and Wayne Wallace. The deeds of Bernie Green and Glen Gibb have further enhanced Runanga’s proud reputation. All seven must merit serious consideration by th' national selectors who, after watching South and Auckland meet in the Travelseekers final at Carlaw Park on May 20, will name a New Zealand XIII to oppose Queensland at Brisbane on June 5. Of course, not all of the

talent in the South side is drawn from the two so similarly attired and so frequently successful clubs.

David Field, of Sydenham, has thoroughly earned his two “man of the match” awards in the Travelseekers series, relishing the contrasting conditions experienced against Northern at Christchurch and Central at Greymouth. The Central coach, Allan Marshall, made it clear that he considers Field “the best stand-off half in this country by far” after the match at Greymouth.

Others, and particularly the Greymouth Marist forward, Wayne Dwyer, deserve some thought from the panel. Both Field, who was hampered by an ankle injury, and Dwyer, toured Australia with the 1982 Kiwis. Their present form, if anything, is even more convincing, and Mr Marshall has a valid point when he says the South Islanders on that trip were fatigued from the heavy pre-season training schedule imposed before their participation in the KB Cup tournament in Australia.

It will probably take a decisive win by South over Auckland to reverse the balance of the New Zealand XIII from the northerndominated team which accumulated a world record total against Papua New Guinea last October.

But Alfeld and Crequer, who shared in the scoring spree at the expense of the Kumuls, and Wallace, a dominating hooker in his two inter-districts appearances, must be strong candidates to travel to Queensland.

All three must also be top contenders for the Kiwi side

to tour Britain and France next year. Most of the present test players are contracted to British clubs, and a full complement will have to be chosen from those still domiciled in this country and from the small number of New Zealanders in Sydney.

If the itinerary mirrors recent patterns, the Kiwis will be pitted against only the most professional of the British clubs between the full internationals. The experience of Field, Edkins and Green would be all that more valuable. Edkins and Green previously visited Britain and France in 1980 and are familiar with what is required to fashion a satisfactory tour record in those countries. Mr Marshall also had much praise for Green’s strength among the outside backs, while Edkins’s excellent goal-kicking form supports his case. Taylor and Gibb, in their second seasons with South Island, are progressing steadily towards higher honours.

The tenacious Taylor attained a new peak with his exceptional work-rate at Greymouth last Sunday, and is ready to lock horns with the tough Auckland props, Vern Wilson and Ricky Cowan. A severe test also lies ahead of Gibb at Carlaw Park. His lively all-round efforts have made him a more than adequate successor to Gordon Smith as the West Coast and South Island scrum-half, and it is unlikely Gibb will concede anything to the highly-rated

Auckland Kiwi, Clayton Friend. The Travelseekers final offers South’s players an ideal opportunity to make their marks at the code’s headquarters. Auckland could suffer from its prior commitment with Queensland Country in Brisbane next Wednesday — both physically and psychologically — and be rather more vulnerable. For many of the southerners, the deciding inter-districts game will be the most important of their careers.