Rugby leaders now set on a collision course

Press, 21 April 1986, Page 22

Rugby leaders now set on a collision course

Leadership in the two sections of the Christchurch senior rugby competition will be sorted out when the top contenders clash in key fixtures this week.

On Anzac Day at Rugby Park the chief rivals in section one of the Trusteebank Cup contest, Marist and University, will dispute supremacy. On Saturday it will be the turn of the joint leaders in section two, Christchurch and Linwood. Marist readied itself for the coming clash by coming from a trailing position in the final to claim a two-point win over New Brighton at Rugby Park on Saturday. The seasiders played solidly, and Ross Adler chalked up 14 points, but the side went down for the second time in four days. It lost a floodlit match to University at Denton Oval last Wednesday. Tom Coughlan, the Marist and former Lincoln College lock, was adjudged “Player of the Day,” a fitting reward for the son of an All Black flanker of the same name. Another winner at the park was a hot dog stand, which suggested that the razzamatazz associated with gridiron games might be on its way. University rounded off its preparation for the Marist meeting by scoring six tries against MerivalePapanui, but none was converted. In contrast, Old Boys gained six tries against lowly Lyttelton on the port ground, and Michael Reeves goaled on each occasion. There were five tries for Belfast as it gained its first win in the tough section one, against a spirited Sydenham. Burnside also secured its first victory, pulling clear of Albion in a match spoiled by petty skirmishes.

Neither Christchurch nor Linwood looked overly convincing as they warmed up for the section two shoot-out. Both trailed at half-time, Christchurch showing gradual improvement from its dismal effort against Suburbs the previous week to shade Shirley. Mark Treweek won the “Player of the Day” award in this Lancaster Park encounter, but the side could well send a telegram to Johannesburg pleading “Come home, Jock.” . After its record score the previous week, Hornby played with plenty of cheek against Linwood, bringing immense satisfaction to its coach, John Phillips, a former Linwood stalwart. Another coach with a “smile on the dial” after Saturday's round was Lincoln College’s Roger Lough. His forwards won good ball against Suburbs, and the backs moved it wide and often to score a second impressive win in four days. Hugh Murchison, the right wing, grabbed five tries in those games, three coming in

the final quarter on Saturday. SECTION ONE

New Brighton 18 Marist: R. Smith, M. O'Donovan, P. Gibson tries; G. Coffey conversion, two penalty goals. New Brighton: S. Gray, M. Carrington tries; R. Adler two conversions, two penalty goals. Referee: Mr G. Anderson. Three splendid tries in the second spell, when it had the wind at its back, enabled Marist to overcome a halftime deficit of 12-3 in the main game at Rugby Park. New Brighton struck back with a late try to narrow the gap to two points, but on the run of play Marist was a deserving winner.

It came close to tries a number of times in the first spell, and it was obvious from an early stage that it had the winning of the game in its backline.

Perhaps because of the wind, both sides overdid the kicking. It was an understandable ploy when the wind was an ally, but New Brighton, in particular, kicked away a lot of possession in the second half.

Nevertheless, the game produced some good football. Both packs hunted the ball with vigour and purpose, there was no shortage of support when either was able to burst into the clear.

Marist had the game’s outstanding player, its No. 8, Tom Coughlan. He turned a lot of play with his strong, aggressive running and also shone in the skilful way he set up rucks from broken play. Seph Pijfers and Mike Taylor were other industrious forwards for Marist, and for speed in the field none could match Tony MacDonald. Steve Baker was in top form behind the scrum and Phil Gibson was the kingpin of a backline which moved the ball sweetly, especially when it scored the three second-half tries. Added punch, as well as pace, was given when Richard Smith got up into the line from fullback.

Ross Adler, the half-back, was the pick of the New Brighton backs, and his goalkicking, too, was of a high standard. Tony Fonatia made a couple of bold runs. In the forwards, Peter McLaren was a hard man to put down, and sound games came from the locks, lan Boyce and Andrew Herd.

Belfast 32,

Sydenham 0

Belfast: R. McDonald, A. Boyd, B. Hutchinson, M. Vincent, A. Bolt tries; D. McKinnel three conversions, two penalty goals. Referee: Mr R. B. Rudkin. Although well beaten, Sydenham emerged from this match with credit. It cer-

tainly stayed the distance much better than it did against Marist on the same ground (Rugby Park) the previous week. In the second half, in particular, playing into the wind, Sydenham mustered dash and daring. The forwards were far from Intimidated by the bigger Belfast pack and the backs, if never able quite to finish off a move, ran purposefully. Their handling let them down on occasions, but it was only in the last four minutes, in which time Belfast added two tries, that the defence crumbled.

It must have been heartbreaking for Sydenham to battle its way into attacking positions, only to be sent back 50m and 60m by Deane McKinnel’s huge punts. But it was the way in which Sydenham kept coming back that made its performance better than the score would suggest.

Victory always assured, Belfast did not inject a lot of urgency into its play. The forwards, for all their advantages in height and weight, strugged to win clean possession and the backs were only a shade more impressive. Belfast’s best moments came from broken play. Theo Gommans and John Retallick spearheaded some telling drives and the good work was frequently carried on by Mardy Vincent and Brent Hutchinson.

Mark Timms had a fine game at full-back for Sydenham, especially when he came into the backline, and Dave Tuia was a dangerous wing.

Watta Viti and Eddie Isofa were the pick of a Sydenham pack. To win as much ball as it did again a side such as Belfast was no mean achievement. Christchurch 14, Shirley 6 Christchurch: L. Vieceli, P. Thomas tries; J. Sprott two penalty goals. Shirley: C. Williamson try, conversion. Referee: Mr T. R. Marshall. Christchurch fully deserved its win over Shirley in the main match at Lancaster Park for the way its forwards gradually increased their momentum and ball-winning capacity during the second half.

From the time, 14 minutes into the second half, when Christchurch grabbed back the lead, Shirley rarely looked likely to add to its score and was a jaded-looking combination by the end. It had enjoyed one flash of individual brilliance from Colin Williamson early in the first half but there was not much for supporters to enthuse over thereafter. Christchurch, in contrast, produced two tries in the second half to seal the win.

If the success for Christchurch could be traced primarily to the waxing fortunes of the pack, there were some likely looking movers in the backline who played their parts well. Principal among these was the young second five-eighths, Lou Vieceli, who often looked dangerous on the burst. Running hard and straight, Vieceli scored the try which took Christchurch to 7-6 in the third quarter. Outside him. Bill Lawrence had his moments on attack as did Max Bremner, who showed some tricky footwork at first five-eighths. All the Christchurch pack contributed wholeheartedly to the second-half escalation and it was the No. 8, Mark

Treweek, who collected the “player of the day” award. Any of the other seven would have been just as deserving.

Treweek combined well with Jeremy Sprott off the back of the scrum, and Ray Waghora and Andy Borland both had top matches. For Shirley, Williamson produced the solo try of which he always seems capable, but, as Christchurch gained the whiphand in the second half, he became an almost anonymous figure.

Maia Toa ran with some verve in midfield without ever cracking the defence and there was the usual optimistic attacking from the rear by the side-stepping Brad Stringer. Kerry Mitchell competed forcefully in the lineouts with John Currie for most of the game and some fire remained in Barry Hammersley’s play right to the end. But the Shirley forwards as a whole ran out of steam in the second half and it was Christchurch that wrapped up most of the crucial secondphase ball and, with it, the match.

Linwood 20,

Hornby 13

Linwood: G. Jones, 2, P. Cropper, G. Bachop tries; A. McCormick two conversions. Hornby: E. Goodhue, G. O’Reilly tries; P. Treves conversion, dropped goal. Referee: Mr T. F. Doocey.

It took a long time for Linwood to gain superiority over Hornby in the curtainraiser at Lancaster Park, and there had to be tremendous admiration for the losers of a frenetic, hard-fought encounter.

Down 4-7 at half-time, Linwood took the lead 16 minutes into the second spell. But when it seemed that Linwood might assume complete control, Hornby was able to bounce back and compete spectacularly well even in the dying stages. A panache about much of Hornby’s play was pleasantly surprising. This was most evident in the scoring of its two tries, at both ends of the match, when movements were mounted convincingly and finished with style. The problem for Hornby was that Linwood produced four tries, also of the highest quality, and always looked likely to come up with a defence-splitting break. Only excellent covering tackling by Hornby prevented Linwood from scoring further tries. From Jamie Flynn at halfback to Tony Wells at fullback, the Linwood backs were full of attacking flair and there was plenty of fiery drive up front. If Linwood can settle into a more controlled pattern, while retaining the dash and fire of many of its individuals, it might recapture its glories of the 19605.

Flynn, with his sharp acceleration, was highly dangerous on the break, and the usual half-back, Graham Bachop, was almost as slippery at first five-eighths. Wells provided the telling thrust which put Greg Jones in for his two tries, and Jones finished the movements with pace and purpose.

In the pack, Phil Cropper had a brilliant all-round match embellished by his taking of three tightheads to one. Mike Fransen was the dominant force, on either side, in the line-outs and there was plenty of dash, from the tall No. 8, Ross Curd. For Hornby, Graham

Turner performed effectively behind a backline which combined well indeed, calling the shots and working the moves with a refreshing confidence.

The first try, scored by Ernie Goodhue, was a beauty. Powerful, controlled mauling by the pack set the scene for the backs to move into action, and a sharp half-break by the veteran Sam Hale, with excellent support work by Paul Treves, had Goodhue scooting over in the corner.

Prominent in the Hornby pack were Lamen Hohaia, for the way he held the forward effort together, and Stu Ward, whose covering work was of high value. Bill Lavery was of similar worth for his efforts in the tight.

Lincoln College 27, Suburbs 6

Lincoln College: H. Murchison (3), A. Dickison tries; R. Pound conversion, dropped goal, two penalty goals. Suburbs: N. McKay penalty goal; J. Webb dropped goal. Referee: H. R. Catherwood. The coach of Lincoln College, Mr Roger Lough, had a timely theme for a half-time pep talk to his players at the College ground. Lincoln was ahead, 15-0, and Mr Lough recalled that at a similar stage of last year’s match against Suburbs, the College XV led, 16-3, only to slide to defeat.

“Today, by the powers, we won’t blow this lead, or I’ll kick every backside so hard you won’t be able to sit down for a week.” The threat worked. Lincoln gave a little ground upwind in the third quarter, conceding two goals to Suburbs, but in the final segment of the ■match the muscular right wing, Hugh Murchison, scored three tries to embellish the victory. The final touch-down, after a Jardenesque interception and 70m dash, brought a hoarse salutation from a student supporter: “Hugh Murchison walks on water.”

There was no shortage of confidence in the Lincoln approach. Luke van Velthoven was an energetic lock, Biair van der Maas was wonderfully industrious at blind-side flanker.

Murchison and Athol Dickison were sturdy, straight runners in the back-line, and Richard Lough, at half-back, effectively involved himself in much of the play. Kelly Ireland’s tackling from openside flanker was most impressive for such a young forward.

The outstanding player was the hooker, Andy Owen, whose non-stop contribution and mature appreciation of situations placed his side securely in the box seat. For Suburbs, some earnest attacking came from Neil McKay and Graham Jackson, and another workmanlike performance by Bruce Richards at half-back. Gary O’Malley, quickly identified by Lincoln as Suburbs’ only line-out leaper, won some good ball in the second half, but the team’s over-all lack of possession continues to be a worry.

University 24,

Merivale-Papanui

University: T. Sio, M. Henderson, G. Jones (2), E. Peterson, M. Thompson tries. Merivale-Papa-nul: K. Thomas penalty goal. Referee: Mr S. P. Garland.

University shook off early lethargy and overcame a spirited first-half performance by Merivale-Papanui to emerge an easy winner at Nunweek Park. The match never rose to great heights as a spectacle and was punctuated by handling lapses by both sides. Although Merivale-Papanui had first use of the wind it was unable to capitalise on a territorial advantage and trailed 4-3 at the break. With possession from set play and second phase play fairly evenly shared in the first half neither side was able to get into top gear and many passes went to ground in the face of good tackling. The Merivale-Papanui pack played well as a unit and the half-back, Les Roberts, did his best to get play flowing. However, University played with greater vigour in the second spell, the forwards gaining ascendency and providing good, if at times rather delayed, ruck ball which was spun wide to good effect. The students’ front-row was impressive, with the prop, Tarvita Sio, a pillar of strength and the hooker, Gary Jones, being rewarded for a good game in the loose with two tries. The lock, Mark Thompson,

keenly contested line-out ball with his taller opposite and the flanker, John McCaw, got through a lot of work. Although the first fiveeighths, Mike Henderson, had no luck kicking for goal, he did distribute the ball well and scored a fine try after a clever interchange of passes with the centre, Geoff Hall. Both the University wingers ran well when play went their way and Euan Peterson’s pace and swerve were impressive. Merivale-Papanui was reduced, in the main, to defending and this it did well in the face of robust University forward play and inventive backs. '! Among Merivale-Papanui’s forwards, the prop’l Barry Baillie, toiled hard ; and the hooker, Wayne Burrows, was prominent in rucks and mauls. The No. 8, Dave Isltt, covered well and drove hard. The best of the backs was the full-back, Kevin Thomas. He displayed strength and speed when running with the ball and was steady on defence. Burnside 31, Albion 9 Burnside: R. Penney, 2, A. Henderson and D.

Schwaiger tries; S. Philpott two droppped goals; J. Preston penalty goal and three conversions. Albion: P. Riorden try; G. James penalty goal and conversion. Referee: Mr T. Hannan. Burnside recorded its first win of the season, beating Albion at Lancaster Park south. The Burnside pack quickly snuffed out any thought of an Albion win. The forwards dominated all facets of play. Outstanding among them was the No. 8, Rob Penney, who scored two tries. The second came after a 50m burst which took him past several defenders. The Burnside locks, Les McCormick and Alan Stevenson, won a feast of line-out ball. The entire pack scrummed and mauled well and Albion was never allowed into the game. Yet in spite of an abundance of possession, the Bumside backs could do no more than kick two dropped goals in the first 30 minutes, by Shayne Philpott. Sweeping back play resulted In a try for Dale Schwaiger just before halftime and a comfortable ninepoint lead for Burnside.

The replacement first fiveeighths, Jon Preston, was the catalyst in a much better effort in the second half by the Bumside backs. Preston displayed many skills and his clever direction gave the line greater penetration. Preston was well served by Tim Sprott at half-back. The match was marred by rough play, and both sides were guilty. Several times punches were exchanged and when the Burnside wing, Andrew Henderson, scored his try at least 10 players were slugging it out 50m away.

There was not a lot to praise in Albion’s play. Don Goulay and Russell Mathleson were hard-working forwards, but the backs were hampered by indecision close to the scram and poor passing and handling meant few chances for the pacy threequarters.

H. 5.0.8. 36, Lyttelton 0

Old Boys: D. Trembarth, S. Drazltski, S. Brown, H. Robinson, D. Ellis, J. Symon, tries; M. Reeves six conversions. Referee: Mr K. McCrea.

High School Old Boys proved too powerful In the forwards and skilful In the backs for Lyttelton. However, 20 minutes had elapsed before the first points came, Denis Trembarth, the big Old Boys lock, bursting through for a try. That Lyttelton was able to

stay in the match for the first quarter was thanks to some • solid work from the forwards, who several times came close to scoring. The bigger Old Boys forwards began to show dominance early in the second half, the locks, Trembarth and Ken Pope, winning much clean ball from line-outs.

Though the backs looked sharp, handling and pacing errors cost scoring opportunities.

In the forwards Trembarth, Pope, and Steve Dods gave whole-hearted preformances, as did Hamish Robinson, who won a number of tightheads. Richard Leggat had ‘ a strong game at half-back. He used the blind side effectively and combined well with his first five-eighths, James Whelan. >

For Lyttelton, Alex Stewart led his team by example. Michael Wilson was quick to the break-downs and he tackled tenaciously.

p w L F A Pt University 4 4 0 106 37 16 Marist 3 3 0 85 31 12 N. Brighton 4 2 2 87 67 9 Belfast 3 1 2 56 50 4 Burnside 3 1 2 55 72 4 Albion 3 1 2 40 69 4 Sydenham 3 1 2 23 92 4 Mer-Pap. 3 0 3 28 62 0 SECTION TWO P W L F A Pt Linwood 3 3 0 91 31 12 Chch 3 3 0 37 15 12 H.S.O.B. 3 2 1 86 29 8 Shirley 3 2 1 87 36 8 Line Col. 4 2 2 84 84 8 Hornby 3 1 2 56 45 5 Suburbs 3 0 3 28 69 0 Lytt 4 0 4 12 172 0 Marist 2 10,