Final Kiwi ‘trial’ for Canterbury?
Canterbury’s rugby league representatives might yet have a priceless opportunity to make a fav- • ourable impression on the New Zealand selectors just hours before the announcement of the Kiwi team to tour Britain and France. It is expected that the 24man New Zealand squad will be chosen on the weekend of September 7 and 8, and Mr Bill O’Callaghan, the convener, is keen for the deliberations of the fiveman national panel tb coincide with the inter-provin-cial championship final at Carlaw Park. By the end of this month only three contenders will remain for the provincial title. Auckland is an automatic finalist, Waikato has won the . northern zone series, and Canterbury needs to win either of its home matches against West Coast (July 20) or Wellington (July 28) to be the southern qualifier. The next stage of the competition is the inter-zone play-off, with Waikato at home, presumably to Canterbury, on the week-end of August 10 and 11. No date has yet been set for the winner of that match to oppose Auckland, but Mr O’Callaghan will recommend to the next meeting of the New Zealand Rugby League that it be the s first week-end of September. For that to occur quite a few pieces have to fit snugly into a football jigsaw. The first requirement, of course, is for Canterbury to earn what would be a replay of its sensational 2222 retention of the Rugby League Cup at the Show Grounds last May. But because no specific date or venue was listed in the official calendar of fixtures, agreement will also have to be reached with the Auckland and Canterbury boards of control. Canterbury has planned its own club championship
By
JOHN COFFEY
grand final for September 8, and has been negotiating with Auckland to play the provincial final — should Canterbury qualify, of course — on the night of Wednesday, August 14, at Carlaw Park. The intention is to combine the semi-final at Huntly the previous weekend with the tilt at Auckland. With that in mind, no club games are scheduled in Christchurch on August 10 or 11.
Because Hornby will by then have the Massetti Cup (premiership) well in safekeeping, that week-end could be made operative, and the championship grand final held on September 1. The Canterbury players would then be able to go north with the purposes of depriving Auckland of the national championship and of pressing for at least equal representation in the Kiwi squad. Mr O’Callaghan admitted yesterday that such a match could not be billed as an official trial — that would be unfair to other provinces and players — but added it would be an appropriate occasion for the five selectors to assemble. The selectors — Messrs O’Callaghan, Graham Lowe, Bill Sorensen, Ossie Butt and Ces Clark — travelled extensively during the interdistricts championship in May and for the regional matches of the recent Australian tour.
Southern, especially Canterbury, candidates for the tour, boosted their chances as both South Island and Canterbury drew with Auckland. The ground they lost when Australia thrashed South Island last month must have been regained when Northern Districts and then Auckland conceded half-centuries and only a makeshift Central Districts
Invitation XIII caused the tourists any concern. Mr O’Callaghan said that the selectors did not plan to meet again until the team to travel to Britain and France was to be named. Other provincial matches would be attended by the panel member in that particular area.
However, Mr O’Callaghan himself is to be present at the first four or five games to be played by the Junior Kiwis in Australia from late next month. He will be there not only in his capacity as national convener, but also as a proud parent — his son, Vaun, is a member of the team. The juniors most in line for promotion are the captain and prop, James Goulding, and the inside back, Kelly Shelford, who both appeared for Auckland and the Central invitees against the Australians. New Zealand can call upon its six Sydney-based players, Mark Graham, Dean Bell, Hugh McGahan, Dane and Kurt Sorensen and Olsen Filipaina, for the
whole tour. Only Filipaina has yet to confirm his availability. That leaves a maximum of 18 vacancies for New Zealand-domiciled contenders. How they are distributed might depend on what use is to be made in the tests of, the Britishbased contingent comprising Gary Kemble, Dane O’Hara, James Leuluai, Gary Prohm, Fred Ah Kuoi, Gordon Smith, Kevin Tamati and Graeme West.
Ross Taylor, a reserve for the Kiwi trial early last month, further shortened his odds when he was included in the 17-man squad for the second Trans-Tasman Cup test. He surely needs only to maintain his consistency to earn selection.
With him should be his fellow Hornby forwards, Wayne Wallace and Adrian Shelford, who were also trialists for the series with Australia. Wallace has not been seriously challenged as understudy hooker to Howie Tamati and the forceful Shelford appears poised to start an extensive and authoritative international career.
The widespread opinion that the tour is to be used to provide for New Zealand’s rugby league future does not strengthen the cases of the seasoned utility forward, Paul Truscott, and the stand-off half, David Field. But both have impressed in their first-class appearances this winter and on sheer football skills must be prime contenders.
After making a belated start to the season because of business commitments, Robin Alfeld has steadily promoted his prospects in the last month or so. Marty Crequer, troubled by injury at times, also merits the most serious consideration as an outside back.
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Press, 12 July 1985, Page 18
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932Final Kiwi ‘trial’ for Canterbury? Press, 12 July 1985, Page 18
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