Canty snatches league victory with late try

Press, 27 May 1985, Page 38

Canty snatches league victory with late try

By

JOHN COFFEY

David Field, the Canterbury rugby league captain, gave no hint that he had already played 238 minutes of first-class football within eight days when he spurted away to score the try which completed a thrilling 30-24 victory over St Helens at the Show Grounds yesterday.

It seemed certain that the Canterbury players, who had drawn with Auckland the previous Tuesday night and had provided the nucleus of the South Island side which shared the points with Auckland at Greymouth two days earlier, were destined for a similar result against the premier British club. The lead had alternated on five occasions and the totals were tied for a third time at 24-24 when St Helens heeled possession from a scrum near its own 22m line. Only two minutes remained, but St Helens lived up to its enterprising reputation and attempted an attack down the left flank in a bid to open its four-match tour with a win. Having watched Canterbury’s hectic encounter with Auckland, the visitors could hardly be blamed for believing Canterbury was tiring. The St Helens scrum-half, Neil Holding, had just made two decisive centre-field breaks, and Canterbury had needed a tight head from Wayne Wallace to clear its territory. However, a long pass to the St Helens three-quarters went astray, and the ball was gathered by Mike Kerrigan. Although they had raced across to cover, Barry Edkins and Field quickly capitalised on the overlap their arrival created. Field’s match-winning dash was of 20m and, for good measure, Edkins converted from a difficult angle for his seventh goal. Edkins had not originally been included in the line-up, but his shoulder problem survived a fitness test. Midway through the second half Edkins was required to take over the scrum-half role from the injured Phil Ban-

croft. Each team scored four tries and Sean Day had a perfect goal-kicking sequence for St Helens. Edkins, who missed three attempts, had more opportunities — an indication of Canterbury’s territorial and penalty advantages — and the points he provided eventually made the difference. If there was not the tension associated with a cup or championship final, there was no lack of competitiveness and action to entertain more than 5500 spectators. Only when Canterbury was briefly in front by 14-6 was either side out of immediate range of the other. Canterbury’s forwards were again outstanding, with Paul Truscott and Adrian Shelford frequently lifting themselves onto an even higher plateau. Even when St Helens bolstered its defences after half-time, Truscott and Shelford continued to wrench gaps and keep movements alive with deft passes. Not all of Canterbury’s timing was so well syn-

chronised, and St Helens, too, was sometimes too ambitious in its manoeuvres. The amount of loose ball caused numerous reverses in the direction of attack and required both sides to abruptly fall back on defence. Though somewhat untidy, such happenings hardly lessened the pace of the match. The St Helens outside backs were a constant threat to Canterbury, without making full capital of the opportunities made by the forceful stand-off half, Chris Arkwright, and the loose forward, Harry Pinner. Three of the St Helens tries resulted from breaks in mid-field, the exception being Andy Platt’s touch-down after Roy Haggerty and Steve Peters had found Canterbury’s defence understaffed out wide. Haggerty, a second-rower yesterday but fast enough to fill in at centre when required, had an eventful first half. Pinner doubled around a team-mate to send Haggerty over for the opening try, allowing St Helens a 6-2 lead, but after one of a number of high tackles Haggerty was sent to the sin-bin by Mr Tony Drake. Canterbury suffered from finishing fumbles in the early stages before two tries in as many minutes had it most favourably placed. Brent Todd claimed the first from a grubber kick by Field, and Truscott emulated his fellow prop forward after Shelford had put his strength to good use. The eight-point cushion was deflated by Platt’s try, and Canterbury was in front only 16-12 at the interval. That was short-lived, as Arkwright broke through to score just after the resumption. Shelford and David Campbell then contrived to

send Kerrigan away for the try which restored Canterbury to 22-18. Just moments after Robin Alfeld had taken over from Hemi Wihongi at full-back, Bancroft was dazed when contesting an up-and-under. The tough little scrum-half was obviously enjoying his tussle with the skilled Holding and reluctantly bowed to medical advice to leave the field. With seven forwards and six backs, Canterbury had to make up in spirit for what it now lacked in balance. Holding’s try seven minutes from full-time would have broken the resolve of many teams, but the Canterbury players had gone through too much together against Auckland and St Helens to accept a defeat. Todd, Wallace — who took all three tight heads in the scrums — and David Campbell were never far behind Truscott and Shelford in taking play to the St Helens forwards, while Edkins again proved he is a gifted all-rounder. Both Bancroft and Field compared admirably with their highly rated markers, and Steve Campbell several times came within a few metres of having his name added to the list of scorers. Pinner and Truscott won the “man of the match” awards. Details.— Canterbury 30 (Brent Todd, Paul Truscott, Mike Kerrigan, David Field tries; Barry Edkins seven goals) beat St Helens 24 (Roy Haggerty, Andy Platt, Chris Arkwright, Neil Holding tries; Sean Day four goals). Half-time, Canterbury, 1612. Scrums 10-10 (tightheads, Canterbury, 3-0). Penalties, Canterbury, 18-9. Referee, Mr Tony Drake.