Canterbury dominant in beating Counties, 19-15, on northern campaign

Press, 19 August 1985, Page 21

Canterbury dominant in beating Counties, 19-15, on northern campaign

From

BOB SCHUMACHER

I in Pukekohe

Canterbury opened its three-match northern campaign on Saturday with the win it desperately wanted, but it was not until eight minutes before full-time that a gallant Counties team conceded the winning try.

For all its possession and forward control, Canterbury should have been comfortably clear well before the final whistle but it needed a fortuitous bounce at a late stage to give Joe Leota the try which gave Canterbury a 19-15 win at the Pukekohe Stadium. Three times Counties held the lead as its very accomplished first five-eighths, Richard Fry, kept it in the match with a string of penalty goals. He was successful with five of his seven attempts and another bounced the wrong way off an upright.

The North Auckland referee, Mr lan Blackmore, did not endear himself to the Canterbury team as he dished out 20 penalties, 15 of them against Canterbury. But what annoyed the Canterbury players most was his inattention to the encroaching Counties’ backs. The centre, Lachie Cameron, advanced so far so often that he might well have stayed in the Canterbury back-line. Anything other than a Canterbury win would have been an injustice. Canterbury scored three tries and if there was an element of luck to the final one, the first two were excellently set up by the forwards who freed the ball from rucks at

the right time. Counties made a very strong start in both halves of the match and came back with a series of counterattacks after Canterbury had taken the lead with its third try. The attack-at-all-costs approach by Counties in the final minutes almost paid off, but Canterbury’s defence, though stretched and strained, never gave. The Deans brothers, Robbie and Bruce, Warwick Taylor and Pat O’Gorman all made vital tackles in the last hectic moments. For most of the match, however, Canterbury dictated the pattern of play and Counties was under heavy pressure. The Counties’ coach, Mr John Hughes, made four team changes at a very late hour but his plan backfired. He had dropped his biggest line-out forward, Paul Tuoro, and replaced him with the much smaller Teina Clarke at lock. Counties was never able to compete with Canterbury in the line-outs where the outstanding Albert Anderson, Tony Thorpe, and O’Gorman snared almost every throw-in. Canterbury won the line-outs, 14-3, in the first half and 24-7 over all.

In another surprise move, Mr Hughes alsorelegated

the team’s most prolific points scorer, Warren McLean, to the reserves and replaced him with the less experienced Sean Lineen at second five-eighths. Lineen was guilty of holding possession when a speedy service to his threequarters was essential and both he and Cameron unwisely elected to chop infield when the line of Canterbury defenders further out had become alarmingly thin.

It was as well that Lineen and Cameron chose the wrong options for the most incisive attackers for Counties, Lindsay Raki, the fullback, and the right wing, Andrew Talaimanu, were often left in the cold. From limited chances they showed both strength and speed. The Canterbury scrum was disarranged, a minor injury having kept Dale Atkins from taking his place at No. 8. Jock Hobbs took over the role of No. 8 and O’Gorman played off the flank, a position which he has occupied lately for his Marist club side.

The changes had no adverse effect and it was the efficient performance of the forwards, both in set play and in the loose, which enabled Canterbury to take control for three-quarters of the match.

Bruce Deans scored Canterbury’s only try of the first half. The forwards supplied the ball close to the line and Deans pushed past Fry in a quick scamper to the line.

The second try was the pick of the three, showing Canterbury in its best offensive form. Again the platform was set by controlled ball by the forwards and the speed of the passing from Deans to Warwick Taylor and Victor Simpson freed Dennis Woods on the right wing for the luxury of a clear run to the line.

Canterbury’s winning try came after the forwards had won five successive rucks. Little progress had been made through a strong Counties defensive cordon and so Simpson placed a little kick to the corner which bounced infield over the Counties’ line and sat up nicely for Leota to haul down.

It was a commendable display by all the Canterbury forwards, but Anderson excelled and not just because he was the prime source for line-out possession. He was in the heart of the rolling drives which Counties had great difficulty in halting, and he left some of the backs struggling in his wake as he raced back in cover defence when

Counties was counter-at-tacking near full-time.

John Buchan — who would have been pleased to take two tight-heads from the All Black and Counties hooker, Andy Dalton, although he conceded two himself — and the props, Murray Davie and Chris Earl, did much of the hard grafting which led to periods of forward dominance by Canterbury. The flat defence by Counties made life difficult for the Canterbury backs when they attempted to move the ball. After trying the long pass early on and finding the ball arriving at the same time as a Counties player, the kick ahead was generally preferred. On defence, Bruce Deans, Wayne Smith, and Taylor stamped their class with authoritative tackles.

Dalton, in his first game for some time, proved an ideal support player and the inexperienced No. 8, David Trombik, left no doubt that he wants to hold his place in the Counties’ team.

For Canterbury, tries were scored by Bruce Deans, Dennis Woods, and Joe Leota. Robbie Deans kicked two conversions and a penalty goal.

For Richard Fry kicked five penalty goals.