Decisive Canty rugby win expected today

Press, 21 May 1985, Page 44

Decisive Canty rugby win expected today

By

KEVIN McMENAMIN

With a big game in sight against Queensland at Brisbane on Sunday, the Canterbury rugby team will be keen to gain all the benefits it can from its outing against South Canterbury at Timaru’s Fraser Park this afternoon.

Canterbury almost invariably wins at Timaru — the last South Canterbury victory was in 1973 — although the quality of the performance has, in recent years, often left much to be desired.

Last year, for example, Canterbury totally overwhelmed South Canterbury in the forwards, but could score only three tries in a 19-3 win. The time before there were just two tries in a 20-3 success.

The Canterbury coach, Mr Alex Wyllie, has had little time to bring his team to anything approaching a peak. He had the full squad together at training three Sundays ago, but since then the absence of key players and injuries have made the training runs of limited value.

If anything, Canterbury is fielding a stronger team than is usually sent to Timaru. This, in part, is because of the closeness of the Queensland game, and Mr Wyllie may also have a desire to make the most of his top players while he has them.

Before long the All Black selectors are going to make heavy inroads into the side, and another factor might be that it is less than a month to Canterbury’s first Ran-

furly Shield defence. With so many experienced players in the line-up today Canterbury should not have too many problems reestablishing the playing pattern which has served it so well over the last three years. However, for the three newcomers the match will be an important test. The new full-back, Daryl Cotterell, would not be human if he did not feel the pressures of being the man asked to fill in for Robbie Deans. Cotterell has not been kicking too many goals in club rugby of late, but as a former Timaru senior player he will be in familiar surroundings at Fraser Park.

John Buchan, a very good general purpose forward, gets the chance to establish himself as the team’s No. 1 hooker, and if the forwards and inside backs play , their part Joe Leota could have a productive debut on the right wing. These are sad times for South Canterbury rugby. The top side has slipped into decline in the last few years and this winter has plummeted to the third division of the national championship. The coach, Mr Ray Ram-

say, has quickly brought in two new arrivals from Dunedin, Richard Hood (half-back) and John Fleming (first five-eighths). The return at second fiveeighths, after a year’s absence, of the very experienced Robin Heron should also help the back play.

However, it is hard to see the South Canterbury forwards, with neither great size nor experience to call on, lasting long against a pack as strong as the one Canterbury is fielding. Anything else but a Canterbury win seems out of the question. It will be interesting to see how ready the side is for the harder games that lie ahead. The teams are:—

Canterbury.—Daryl Cotterell; Joe Leota, Victor Simpson, Craig Green; Warren Taylor, Wayne Smith; Bruce Deans; Dale Atkins; Jock Hobbs or Barry White, Albert Anderson, Andy Earl, Don Hayes; Murray Davie, John Buchan, Chris Earl. South Canterbury.—Barry Fairbrother, Russell Martin, Barry Gallagher, Craig Dorgan; Robin Heron, John Fanning; Richard Wood; Ken McEachen; Tim Coughlan, Richard Bartlett, Peter Cockburn, Mick Smale; Gerard Coughlan, Brent Foxcroft, Tony Hand.