Country keeps proud record

Press, 18 June 1986, Page 68

Country keeps proud record

By

808 SCHUMACHER

While the match would not rate too highly in the annals of country rugby, Canterbury Sub-Unions provided plenty of pluck and dollops of determination in downing Otago Sub-Unions, 14-8, at Rangiora yesterday. Canterbury Country was dead keen to finish its representative programme on a winning note after prevailing in its previous five matches this season. Early signs were ominous for Canterbury Country. The props, Mark Forrester and Stuart Loe, both unusually big men for positions normally associated with players of squat build, were like

popping corks in the opening scrums and the lineouts became an Otago benefit. But if the aerial combat was decided well and truly in favour of Otago, Canterbury Country made no contest of the battle for possession once the ball was at shoulder height or below. In mauling and rucking, driving and wheeling, the Canterbury Country forwards were superb; they won twice as much ball as Otago Country from that source and when the onrushes were stopped Canterbury had the advantage of the scrum put-in. The Otago backline had been seen in favourable light two days earlier when the visiting team

had thrashed South Canterbury, 52-6, but it was ineffective against Canterbury. Lethal tackling in the midfield by the Canterbury centres, Kelvin Eder and Robbie McGregor, forced Otago to abandon attacks through its backs in the first half, but even when play became far more open in the second half, Otago found the defence difficult to pierce. Otago Country scored two of the three tries in the second spell, its able half-back, Richard Morgan, fooling the defence two minutes into the half to reduce the deficit to six points. Canterbury Country, however, was out to its 1 flpoint half-time advantage

again five minutes later when the fleet-footed John McAllister crossed for his second try. The score remained at 14-4 until the Otago right wing, Sandy Wilson, scored three minutes into injury time. It may well have been to Otago’s benefit that the ball did not always swing too quickly through the Canterbury line. McAllister and John Skurr, on the wings, both had the pace to round their marker, and Eder, with his size and strength, cut the defensive chain with his incisive thrusts. An emerging player in Canterbury rugby, Grant White, led many a sally by the home forwards, the dutiful Ross Loffhagen

was close at hand, and Mark O’Brien thrived in the sometimes torrid forward exchanges. Tom Hollows proved a skilful No. 8 for Otago and the deeds of the tight five forwards perhaps deserved a better fate, especially the excellent lineout work of Trevor Layser and Graham McGurk. The backs, cut down early, never really found the freedom they were seeking. For Canterbury Country, John McAllister (two) and Andy Jones scored tries; Lee Golding adding a conversion. For Otago Country, Richard Morgan and Sandy Wilson scored tries. The colts curtain-raiser was also won by Canterbury Country, 12-6.