Colts overwhelmed

Press, 9 July 1986, Page 64

Colts overwhelmed

PA Wellington The New Zealand Colts rugby team were pulled up with a jolt yesterday when they were overwhelmed, 52-6, by Wellington at Athletic Park.

The home team ran in eight tries, seven of them converted by the fullback, Allan Hewson, who also landed two penalties. The Colts had started their tour in merry fashion, beating West Coast, 61-13, and Nelson Bays, 62-3, but after yesterday’s loss their prospects of performing with distinction in Saturday’s match with the Australian

under-21 team in Sydney have hardly been helped. After giving away the first-half wind advantage to Wellington, the Colts spent most of the spell on the back foot. By the interval Wellington led,

40-0, and from then on the game lost its bite. Though the Colts had a number of players with first-class experience, it was very much a case of sending a bunch of lads on a man’s errand. The Colts were pushed about by the Wellington scrum, and they were totally overshadowed in the line-outs and in the loose.

Their only moment of joy came in the fiftysecond minute when the full-back, Darryl Halligan, of Waikato, came up to provide the extra man and he threw a good pass to the left wing, Paul Cooke, who scored a try in the corner. Scorers.—Wellington 52. Dirk Williams (2), John Schuster, Mike Clamp, Dave Hansen, Paul McKay, Peter Barlow, Fraser Mexted tries; Allan Hewson 7 conversions and 2 penalties. New Zealand Colts 6. Paul Cooke a try; Darryl Halligan a conversion.