Linwood rugby’s new wave

Press, 29 May 1985, Page 44

Linwood rugby’s new wave

At the beginning of the game, they have been referred to as a kindergarten side, or the local Ist XV. But when the final whistle sounds, opponents of the Linwood senior rugby side have usually had cause to eat their words. The latest team to be humbled by the young side was the competition leader, Belfast, which could not peg back a 12-point deficit and eventually lost, 15-9, last Saturday. The win moved the side into fourth place in the competition, equal with Shirley, and it is now just four points adrift of Belfast. The position could have been even rosier if it was not for a shock loss to the lowly placed Sydenham. The new coach, lan Mallard, will not be too upset about that lapse, however, as the team has improved markedly the club’s standing in the competition after a disastrous season last year. The side finished fourth from the bottom of the table. The reason for the start-

ling transformation must be linked with the injection of young players, who have rewarded the club for its trust with fine, dedicated performances. Even though three of its members have recently celebrated their twenty-first birthdays, the average age of the backline is only 19 years.

And the youthful backline is complemented by a forward pack that contains two 19-year-olds and a host of “youngish” players. Over half the team, Clive Joyce, Robert Hooper, Graeme and Stephen Bachop, Jeff Potts, Phil Cropper, Greg Jones and Andrew McCormick, played in the Canterbury Colts trial last Sunday and four of the eight have been nominated for a New Zealand Colts trial. Of the two backs who did not make the trials, Gosky Seinafo, a Canterbury senior B representative last season, was too old at 21 to play colts rugby and Tony Wells, who was a Colts representative last year,

was disadvantaged by a change of positions from half-back to full-back.

Wells’ reaction to changing positions is seen by Mallard as epitomising the dedication of the senior team.

The former Linwood flanker, who played 14 seasons for the senior side, has progressed to the position of senior coach almost as quickly as his players have risen to senior ranks. Mallard started out as the club’s under-18 team coach three years ago and guided the team to victory in the tough grade in 1983 and 1984. His first sally into senior coaching, with a fellow Linwood stalwart, Brent Elder, as his able assistant, began this season.

As Elder, the former Junior All Black half-back, has recently returned to his home town of Masterton, Mallard is now trying to guide the side through this year as the sole coach. “Potentially, this is a very fine side,” he said. “The players are learning all the time and with this

year to acclimatise themselves to senior rugby they should be in good shape to perform well in Linwood’s centenary celebrations next year."

The players themselves believe they are learning all the time about the demands and rigours of senior rugby. Graeme Bachop, at 17, is the youngest member of the team. He is enjoying the challenge of adapting to the faster pace and more physical exertions of senior rugby. Bachop has the background to succeed at this new level. Canterbury status throughout the age grades led to his selection for the South Island at under-16 level and then the ultimate achievement — representing his country against Australia in an under-17 “test."

Three of the other players have represented their country. Cropper, a mobile hooker, played for the New Zealand Colts last season, Steven Bachop was a New Zealand Secondary Schools and an under-17 player, and

McCormick captained the national under-17 side in his second year in the team.

McCormick has been drawn into the inevitable comparisons with his father, Fergie, the pugnacious All Black full-back of the 19605. But to expect Andrew to emulate his father would be unfair on the tall, blonde midfield back.

All the players have the ability to progress further in rugby, but Mallard is wary about predicting how far they will go in the sport. “It’s early days yet. They’re certainly dedicated — now it’s just a matter of getting the breaks.” The players, like their coach, are under no illusions as to the size of their task in trying to do well in rugby. But for now, the aim is to strive to play good club rugby.

Linwood celebrates its centenary next season. If the young senior team continues to develop and adapt to the demands of senior rugby, 1986 should be a year for the club to remember. dean McLachlan