Crucial match for tourists

Press, 25 July 1984, Page 54

Crucial match for tourists

NZPA staff correspondent Canberra The All Black’s clash with Australian Capital Territory today gains importance daily as the match to put New Zealand’s tour back on the rails. The tourists visit lost momentum completely when they crashed to a 9-16 defeat at Australia’s hands in the first test at Sydney last Saturday. Morale and confidence are now in sore need of rebuilding in the tour’s seventh match against one of Australia’s most unpredictable state sides. In recent seasons, A.C.T. has defeated Wales and Argentina, winning a reputation as a state side not to be trifled with. New Zealand never intended to treat this match lightly. Its importance to the tourists grows daily as part of their preparation for the second test match at Brisbane in 11 days time. The decision of eight Wallaby players to withdraw from the Sydney representive side New Zealand will meet on Saturday has seriously depleted the All Black’s second test preparation. They had banked on that match as the one in which they could run a shadow second test lineup to

regain momentum. Now Sydney’s eight Wallabies have withdrawn, inciting an angered reaction from the All Blacks. New Zealand team sources described the decision of Sydney’s Australian representatives to dodge Saturday’s match in order to be fully fit for the second international as unethical. They realise they now need to treat today’s match against an A.C.T. side, which should not be underestimated, as a major priority. New Zealand is fielding a noticeably second string lineup. Jock Hobbs, who will captain the side, Bernie Fraser, Robbie Deans and Alan Whetton are the only survivors from Saturday’s test side — the latter two playing that match as replacements. ® The All Black rugby team is outraged by the withdrawal of eight Wallabies from the Sydney representative side they are scheduled to play at the Concord Oval on Saturday. The coach, Bryce Rope, called the withdrawal of the Australian representatives an “affront to the spirit of rugby.” . Mr Rope predicted a severe worsening of transTasfrian rugby relationships as a result of the decision of

the eight Sydney players who will take part in the second test in Brisbane in two weeks to make themselves unavailable. He said . Australia’s national coach, Alan Jones, had admitted responsibility for the players’ withdrawal which made the situation harder to stomach. “It would never happen in New Zealand,” Rope complained. “Our boys are terribly disappointed.” He supported the All Black manager, Dick Littlejohn’s statement that the withdrawal from the Sydney side of the captain, Michael Hawker, Mark Ella, Phillip Cox, Ross Reynolds, Simon Poidevin, Steve Cutler, Steve Williams and Enrique Rodriguez, was “unethical.” Mr Littlejohn had earlier delivered a tersely-worded statement to the Australian Rugby Football Union, complaining about the removal of the Wallaby players for the Sydney side. Mr Rope added that Mr Jones was “diving for cover” by encouraging his players to withdraw from Saturday’s match. “I think rugby is beyond this sort of thing,” Rope said, “in fact I would have thought it is far beyond it. “Rugby is one of those games you can play where there is a winner' and a

loser but in which you can come off the field with no animosity towards your opponent. You front up to the best team your opponents have got. This kind of turnaround is an affront to the spirit of the game. “My players are very upset to a man. They are all finding this so unbelievable.” Mr Rope speculated that rugby relations between New Zealand and Australia, which had improved in recent years with the resultant establishment of an annual contest for the Bledisloe Cup, were now jeopardised. © The Australian rugby selectors have taken the expected step of retaining the ’ side which defeated New Zealand in the first test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday for the second international in Brisbane two weeks away. Nothing which occurred in Saturday’s test encouraged the selectors to consider change. The controversial selections in their first test side, those of the lock, Steve Cutler, and the No. 8, Ross Reynolds, were emphatically justified and the coach, Alan Jones, is confident his players will continue to improve as they remain together.