Green two short of try record

Press, 7 August 1985, Page 64

Green two short of try record

One of the oldest records in Canterbury rugby should fall to Craig Greene this winter. Green’s try against Otago yesterday took his total for Canterbury this season to 15, only two short of the record set by another All Black wing, Duncan McGregor, back in 1902. Terry Mitchell, with 16

tries in 1974, is the player who has come closest to matching McGregor’s feat. Mitchell also scored 15 in 1978, as did Dave McGuigan in 1975, Robin Woolhouse in 1971 and Bill Birtwistle in 1964. All these men were also wings. Green, as long as he is

not affected by injury, should have eight more games this winter in which to score the three tries he needs to beat McGregor. Two years ago Green was the country’s top try-scorer with 16 in first-class matches, 14 of them for Canterbury.

His first-class total this winter stands at 18. As well as the 15 he has scored for Canterbury, he got two in the second test against England, and he scored New Zealand’s only try in the Bledisloe Cup match against Australia. Last year Wellington’s

Mike Clamp set a new record of 24 tries in a season, which was four more than the old mark held by another Wellingtonian, Bernie Fraser. The way he has been scoring tries in the last few weeks Green could well make a challenge for Clamp’s first-class record.