Open match in prospect
NZPA staff correspondent Napier Hawke’s Bay will be the meat in a potentially appetising French rugby sandwich when the teams clash at Mclean Park this afternoon.
The match promises to be a juicy one, sandwiched between the first and second tests of France’s eightmatch tour. It carries little relevance to the tests, either as a warm down after the first or a buildup to the second, but if the French are willing to treat it as such, it could be a welcome on-field release for the members of the touring party who are unlikely to be engaged in the internationals.
France has something to lose — its unbeaten record in provincial matches on this tour — but it has no reason to adopt a cautious attitude.
It can be expected to easily j dominate a young
Hawke’s Bay side and might therefore give vent to its true running talent for the first time on tour.
Only in the final 20min of their match against Wellington 10 days ago did the tourists really let out the stops and give their backs room. They have no cause today to play negatively, are unlikely to be hardpressed by Hawke’s Bay and should therefore be able to show New Zealanders just how well they can actually play. France’s team for the match is unquestionably second-string. It contains only four of the players who took part in last Saturday’s test, yet it cannot be considered weak.
There is potential in the back-line for explosive play, particularly with the test regulars, Didier Cordoniou and Patrick Esteve, stationed in the three-quar-ters.
They give this .French
side “bite” and it is likely that if the forwards gain dominance the backs will severely stretch the Bay.
If the home side shares anything with its French opponent, however, it is its reputation for unpredictability. Eleventh of 11 teams in the first division of the national championship last year, the Bay still managed to give the Lions a run for their money. Hawke’s Bay demonstrated attacking brilliance of its own, giving that touring side a real scare before losing, 25-19. Adding spice to its performance today will be the players’ knowledge that this is their union’s centenary season — something they will be hoping to mark with a display of character. Hawke’s Bay’s 100 years have earned it a reputation as an exponent of an open and exciting style. France has been most vulnerable on this tour when it has been
taken on at its own game and, with a youthful but capable team, Hawke’s Bay might try and do just that. The teams are. —
France: Bernard Vivies, Laurent Pardo, Eric Bonneval, Didier Cordoniou, Patrick Esteve, Guy Laporte, Henri Sanz, Jean-Charles Orso, Pierre Lacans (captain), Francis Haget, Alain Lorieux, Jacques Gratton, Daniel Dubroca, Bernard Herrero, Pierre-Edouard Detrez. Reserves: Phillippe Dintrans, Jean-Pierre Garuet, Jean-Luc Joinel, Pierre Berbizier, JeanPatrick Lescarboura, Serge Blanco.
Hawke’s Bay: Billy Henderson, Ken Taylor, Peter Drury, Peter Davis, Kit Brooks, Peter O’Shaughnessy, Steve Eddy, John Bird, Craig Faulkner, Peter Scannel, Peter Fulford, Mark Westbrook, Pat Benson (captain), Jim Laughton, Neil Porter. Reserves: Chris Brownlie, Paul Moorin, Kevin Pedersen, Paul Blake, Gerald Harris, Greg Cooper.
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