Mid-Canterbury wins rugby but credit to Buller

Press, 12 August 1985, Page 25

Mid-Canterbury wins rugby but credit to Buller

Mid-Canterbury might have won the representative rugby match in Ashburton on Saturday, but Buller took much of the credit with 80 minutes of real purpose and, at times, some fine running rugby. Mid-Canterbury led 3-0 at half-time thanks to a Murray Roulston penalty goal. David Baird kicked two for Buller early in the second half as his side dominated territorially, but Roulston produced the equaliser then scored a try which he converted just before full-time which made the final scored Mid-Canterbury 12, Buller 6. It was a decidedly badtempered match with several outbreaks of punching and knees being used on players who were often not in position to defend themselves. Referee Ross Stewart of West Coast kept up a steady stream of whistle, and he produced 32 penalties or free kicks.

He had trouble settling scrums, and he had trouble cooling tempers even though he sin-binned the Buller hooker, Kevin Luff at one point. The decisions were mostly easy to follow, but those in scrums bemused a few. At times both hookers had their heads almost on the ground. Neither was slow to try and hook the ball against their own head, and that led to problems for the Mid half-back, Brian McCormack, whose service to scrums has often caused problems in the past. With feet waving under his nose it was not suprising he was slow to deliver the ball. Only one of the two tight-head hooks could be counted against him, and even then it seemed the ball was hooked from his hand. Two of the most obvious swingers came from Buller. Robert Elley and particularly Murray Dickson were often seen swinging punches even after the whistle had gone. Doubtless, since it takes two to produce a fight, there were faults on the other side but those responsible were not easy to identify. However, there was also some rugby and it was enough to suggest that this Mid-Canterbury side has a lot of improving to do. It

again could not control ball at the back of line-outs, and it again showed tactical deficiency in the backs. They kept trying to run ball against a defensive line which was both quick to move up and was also reinforced by the presence of three hard tackling loose forwards in Tom Stuart and Robert and Glen Elley. It has happened in several games this season with the accent being placed almost totally on running ball. That is fine when there is room to move in, but when there is not, the short kick or the punt into space out wide turns the other side around. David Baird showed early at full-back for Buller, that he did not handle tactical kicks well when under pressure. Yet he was allowed to recover his composure and became player-of-the-day

He linked well with his backs, and inside him Michael Bonisch looked a very competent five-eighths. John McArthur ran hard, albeit too often into the defence, and Mark Mclntosh and Lee Powell looked quick and decisive wings. Up front Richie Banks led the pack by example, shirking nothing in the tight. Luff did valuable work there too, and like several others in the pack, he was adept at turning good Mid-Canter-bury ball into bad ball by getting through gaps.

For the home side there were some who showed a lack of pace when moving to cover kicks, but there was no lack of it in Geoff Frew and Stephen Stratford. Frew nearly set up a firsthalf try for Jock Ross, while Stratford made the one Roulston scored, though Roulston showed good judgment in getting into position to take the pass. In the pack, Paul Renton deserved his match award with a tireless performance at number eight. Yet one has to wonder at him being used as a line-out jumper. He lacks real height, and really came to Ashburton as a flanker anyway.

He would make a fine tight-looge flanker. It was very late in the game before much was seen of Alistair Morrison and Warren Frew, the other loosies.