Thorpe likely lock

Press, 7 May 1986, Page 76

Thorpe likely lock

The Sheffield lock, Tony Thorpe, is likely to have his first game of rugby for Canterbury this season in Suva on Saturday.

Canterbury meets Fiji in the final round of the A.G.C. South Pacific championship, a title Canterbury will take if it wins. The Canterbury coach; Alex Wyllie, had still not finalised the team last night, and he will probably not do so until it arrives in Suva on Friday.

However, a replacement has to be found for Dale Atkins, who has a broken thumb, and Mr Wyllie said his most likely course of action would be to switch Andy Earl to Atkins’s place at No. 8 and bring in Thorpe at lock.

The Marist No. 8, Adrian Kennedy, has been called into the squad and he will be travelling as the third forward reserve. Steve Hansen is recovering well from the sprained ankle he suf-

fered against Auckland last week artd he is expected to be fit to play against Fiji. If so, then the probable team is:—

Richard Connell; Joe Leota, Steve Hansen, Roger Kilpatrick; Wayne Burleigh, Stephen Bachop; Bruce Deans; Andy Earl; Don Hayes (captain), Pat O’Gorman, Tony Thorpe, Grant Mickell; Chris Earl, John Buchan, Murray Davie. Reserves: David Reid, John McCaw, Adrian Kennedy; Allan Lindsay, James Leggat, Mark McHardy.