Depleted Canty XV should still win

Press, 19 April 1986, Page 80

Depleted Canty XV should still win

By

KEVIN McMENAMIN

At times in the last three years Canterbury has been able to field a team containing eight All Blacks, and late last year a ninth, Victor Simpson, joined the “club.” However, of these nine only one remains for today’s A.G.C. South Pacific championship match against New South Wales at Sydney — the prop, Murray Davie. The rest are preparing for games on more distant fields. But despite the mass exodus, Canterbury will be expected to beat New South Wales and stay at the top of the South Pacific ladder. It still has most of the forwards who carried the

side to victory over Auckland in the first round last Sunday, and the return of Dale Atkins should make the pack even stronger. Wellington had little trouble beating New South Wales last week-end, and while New South Wales can be expected to improve, especially on its home ground, Canterbury’s ball-winning ability should be greater. Nevertheless, Canterbury is going into this match without a fast loose forward, and the last time it took this risk was when it was beaten, 32-3, by Auckland in 1984.

Another cause for concern is goal-kicking. Robbie Deans and Rod Latham have given Can-

terbury great strength in this department and on his club showings last season the new full-back, Richard Connell, . hardly looks to be in their class.

Winning in Australia has seldom been easy for Canterbury, and too much experience has been lost from the backs to think that they are going to run the ball with total confidence.

But if they tackle as well as they did last week, and the forwards win enough ball to dictate the pattern of play, then Canterbury should record its first win over New South Wales in Sydney. The seven previous encounters have all been in Christchurch and only once, in 1882, was New South Wales successful.