Home unions upset

Press, 21 April 1986, Page 40

Home unions upset

NZPA staff correspondent PETER O’HARA London

Rugby players in the Southern Hemisphere have gained an advantage in skill and results that is depressing the Home unions deeply. Officials and observers at Twickenham on Satur-

day were searching for ways to bring the northern game back to levelpegging after the Overseas XV scored a six-

try, 32-13 win over the Five Nations. Earlier in the week they had seen The Rest beat the British Lions, 15-7, at Cardiff.

Highly-developed skills throughout the team, right into the tight forwards habitually occupied by less mobile men, were pinpointed as one advantage enjoyed by an Overseas team made up of All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks. The exception perhaps was the one South African forward, the 20-stone plus prop Flippie van der Merwe.

Mick Doyle, coach of the Irish team which won the Five Nations 1985 championship, said that

the difference between the two teams was “a huge lesson to us”. “Unless we get our act together in learning skills we are wasting our time,” the Five Nations coach said.

Bob Templeton, the Australian who managed the overseas players at the International Rugby Board centenary, ex-

plained: “What we have tried to look at is the athleticism of our players. “Whether they be prop forwards we like to be able to think that once the

lineout or scrum is over they can all be able to play a part, run and handle and pick the ball up. “Developing skills is an important part of develop-

ing your play.” Mr Templeton posed the question of whether Britain was “playing the game too much.” “You play twice a week and are not developing skills. When do you

practise? You can’t expect players to just go out and play.” Keith Rowlands, of

Wales, the manager of the demolished Five Nation team, said: “The Southern Hemisphere certainly were a stronger force on that particular field. It augurs well for the World Cup.”

But the coach, Brian Lochore, cautioned reporters not to be “too hard on the Five Nations”.

The captain of the 1967 All Black tour to the United Kingdom said: “You should give them credit for the way they played the game.

“Although we missed about five opportunities to score just before half-time there was very little in it

then (the score was 10-7

to the Overseas XV at half-time).

“We did gain the ascendancy in the last half hour... we had some pretty good players,” Mr Lochore said. Overseas XV v. Five Nations match report — Page 22