Tour brings welcome changes in Kiwi side

Press, 18 December 1985, Page 44

Tour brings welcome changes in Kiwi side

by

KEVIN PAGE

The introduction of six new caps to the test line-up on the recent tour of Great Britain and France has come as a breath of fresh air to the New Zealand rugby league team. The 1985 tour could be regarded as reasonably successful in terms of results; certainly a drawn series with Great Britain and a decisive series win over France is not to be scoffed at, but in terms of strengthening the test team it was a huge success.

Since the 1984 series with Great Britain, Ricky Cowan and Mark Elia have really been the only new faces in the test line-up. This latest tour provided the Kiwi coach, Graham Lowe, with the perfect opportunity to blood his younger selections and give his older players a chance to retire on a successful note.

Already Gary Prohm has led the expected rush of retirements with Fred Ah Kuoi and Howie Tamati not far behind. Realistically, players such as Dane

O’Hara, Olsen Filipaina and even Mark Graham must also be close to retirement. They may continue for another year or two, but will certainly face stiff challenges for their test places. Tamati, in fact, has effec-

tively lost his test hooking position to the Canterbury player, Wayne Wallace. Three fine test performances so far have cemented Wallace’s claim.

Filipaina lost his test place for the first French international to Shane Cooper while Graham was invalided out of the tour after the third test in Great Britain.

O’Hara’s wing position has been under threat for some time, but his international experience has helped him overcome all challenges. Mark Elia, equally at home in the centres, Mark Bournville, Shane Horo and Canterbury’s Marty Crequer all seem capable now of taking his place when he steps down. The young forwards, Sam

Stewart, James Goulding and another Canterbury player Brent Todd, each managed a test appearance on tour, each replacing a test regular. ' These three can be seen as replacements for the likes of Kurt and Dane Sorenson and Owen Wright when they retire or are dropped. Wright has already come under considerable pressure for his test place, but responded with some fine performances in France which kept his opponents at bay, for a while at least. Mark Graham’s demise was disappointing, both for him and league followers who had waited anxiously for a glimpse of the man once tagged the world’s best forward.

Graham showed his style in each of the. test matches he played ' this year, but such is his talent that he has become a marked man.

He was “ambushed” by Noel Cleal in the first Aus-, tralian test; failed to the first Great Britain test because of cheek and ankle injuries and missed the second test altogether. T Great player that he is, Graham has become injury: prone and perhaps it is time ? for him to step aside at the international level and put;' something else into the game. ;r ,...3 J Mr Lowe obviously had. Graham’s future ; plans in., mind when he named Hugh '; McGahan as captain to suc-K ceed Graham at the start of the French tour. It was a« fitting tribute to the East-?; era Suburbs (Sydney) for-;? ward, who has been a solid? Kiwi performer since his test debut in 1982. ~

Still in his early 205,; McGahan is the ideal.future skipper, to maintain Newy Zealand’s rugby league revi-ti val of recent years with a younger brigade. • - ““ •