Linwood lowers colours of champion team

Press, 27 April 1987, Page 24

Linwood lowers colours of champion team

Rugby

Linwood dented Shirley’s proud record and hoisted itself to the top of the first round senior rugby competition for the Trust Bank Canterbury Cup with an upset win at Lancaster Park Oval on Saturday. The victory swept Linwood to a three-point lead over Shirley, with University and Hornby a further point behind in third place. University, however, has played one game fewer than Linwood, and they are the only unbeaten teams. The emerald gem that is Lancaster Park Oval was a fitting setting for a big game which crackled along at a smart pace. It was an entertaining game with an exciting finish, as Linwood clung to a threepoint lead provided by a 40m dropped goal from Andrew McCormick.

Shirley passed up the chance of a draw 2min from the end when it eschewed a kick at goal from a penalty in front of the goal posts, and tapped and ran instead. Linwood held firm.

McCormick, who also scored the green-and-blacks’ try, produced one of his best displays for Linwood, and the energetic Phil Cropper deservedly won the "Player of the Day” award for his untiring and effective play in the loose. In another upset, this time at Rugby Park, Bumside snatched a two-point win from Christchurch after leading handsomely, surrendering the advantage, and then bouncing back boldly. A reshuffled University side played constructively and took its options well against Hornby, but the “Red Devils” earned kudos by defending capably and counter-attacking in the final quarter. Marist passed a stiff test by accounting for Belfast; Suburbs wore down an injury-hit Merivale; and Old Boys beat Albion, with the former No. 8, Nigel Ward, reappearing at centre and scoring two tries. The day’s two big scorers were Lincoln College and Sydenham, each of whom scored seven tries, against Lyttelton and New Brighton respectively. The points table: —

Linwood 9, Shirley 6 Linwood: A. McCormick try, dropped goal; T. Wells conversion. Shirley: B. Dixon try; C. Williamson conversion. Half-time: 0-6. Referee: Mr T. M. Hannan. Once again Linwood showed that enthusiasm can be a great sustainer, when it upset last year’s champion, Shirley, in the main game at Lancaster Park. , Shirley appeared likely to take its expected grip on the game when it scored an early try, and it had enough possession and position in the first quarter to go further ahead. But gradually Linwood’s tactics of keeping the big Shkley forwards on the move s«{ed to pay dividends, and wvh more ball coming its way Linwood was fighting

more than just a holding action in the second and third quarters. The midfield pair, Andrew McCormick and Rose Seinafo, presented a lot of problems for the Shirley defence and it was McCormick who finally scored the try that Linwood had been close to for so long 10 minutes into the second spell. Tony Wells added the conversion to tie the scores and it was McCormick who struck again with what proved the winning goal when, with his backline in disarray, he found the posts with a 40m dropped goal. Shirley put in a big effort in the last 10 minutes, and it appeared likely that its forwards would pull the side through. Three times they, came within a metre of a pushover try, but each time a heroic Linwood scrum managed to halt the advance. Although the backs did a grand job in keeping the game fluid, it was the Linwood forwards who made this win possible. Phil Cropper was outstanding in the loose, especially in making Shirley pay for the high number of passes that it dropped. The locks, Ralph Bosma and Fred Brown, did their part by winning far more line-out ball than Linwood could reasonably have expected, and Paul Deardon and Tim Welsh were lions in a scrum that never took a breather. ( McCormick was the outstanding back, his hard running establishing a platform from which Linwood was able to run rucked ball left or right. Seinafo was more of a fancy stepper, and a most elusive one. Wells, too, had a fine game at fullback. Shirley suffered a bit through injuries, losing both Gordon Ngatai and Colin Williamson, but it was far removed from the highly efficient side of its previous games. Rob Mclntosh and Na Katae were the pick of the forwards, and Allan Lindsay gave the backs every chance to swing into action. But basic errors, forced, perhaps, by the constant pressure of Linwood always having players close to the ball, prevented the line finding any sort of rhythm. Linwood also had an answer to Brad Stringer’s attempts to open up the play from fullback. Burnside 22, Christchurch 20 Burnside: C. Stokes, M. Lake, D. Walker tries; J. Preston two conversions, penalty goal; S. Philpott penalty goal. Christchurch: K. Tui, M. Bremner tries; J. Sprott dropped goal; R. Latham three penalty goals. Halftime: 15-7. Referee: Mr D. J. Philpott The explosive running of Shayne Philpott gave Burnside a dramatic, last-gasp win over Christchurch after the red-and-whites had relinquished a handy lead, and seemingly the match, early in the last quarter of the main game at Rugby Park. Philpott’s side-stepping burst, and telling support play by Rob Penney, had Dean Walker across for the winning try 4min from the finish, after Christchurch had steadily fought its way back into the match in the second half. Burnside had earlier rocked Christchurch, taking a 12-0 lead through two converted tries in the first quarter and staying in front, 15-7, at half-time. The strain of trying to hold the dreadnought Christchurch pack began to take its toll on Bumside, which dropped back to 15-20 with 13min to go, before mounting its remarkable resurgence, beginning with a penalty goal by Jon Preston.

Philpott understandably won the “Player of the Day” award,.but it could just as easily have gone to the Burnside No. 8 and captain, Penney, who played splendidly throughout the match. A brilliant burst by Penney, peeling away from a line-out at the end of the first quarter, sparked Burnside’s second try. Penney had a impact on the matchjfcan his Christchurch ' counterpart, Mark Treweek, although ihe

bruising Treweek often made his presence felt with barging runs. Besides Philpott arid Penney, there were good displays for Bumside from Wayne Gugich, Preston, Danny McGuire and Colin Stokes. For Christchurch, Craig Philpott secured a lot of good ball towards the front of the line-out, and John ■ Currie came into his own in this sphere in the second half. Keni Tui showed a lovely inside swerve, and tremendous pace, in scoring against the run of play from 60m out. Rod Latham had an unhappy day with his goalkicking, landing only three from nine attempts. University 19, Hornby 10. University: E. Peterson (2), B. Sprott tries; P. Treves 2 conversions, penalty goal. Hornby: G. O’Reilly try and dropped goal; G. Turner penalty goal. Referee: Mr P. R. Jellyman. The fact that seven regular members were missing from the University line-up probably had little bearing on the outcome of this game, so Sssive were the replace- . Although Hornby was not outclassed in a most entertaining game, lack of weight in the forwards and polish in the rearguard could not be answered by non-stop effort and earnest endeavour. University started the game as if it had a train to catch. The forwards were quick to the loose ball and with Garry Barkle having a fine game at halfback it appeared that the traffic was going to be all one way. This was not the case. Good play for Hornby by a flanker, Trevor Topp, and the No. 8, Lamen Hohaia, in the loose, and a lock, Mel Ineson, in the line-outs, evened things out for most of the first half. Phil Mason and Greg O’Reilly were the core of a stubborn Hornby defensive line-up, but they could not halt all the attacking ploys of a talented University backline. Evan Peterson scored two very good tries. Paul Treves was always a danger against his old club, and Brett Ellison added punch in the centre. Andrew Simcock made the most of his impressive speed from, full-back. University had too much power and expertise for its rival up front There was no player more dedicated than Chris O’Reilly in the front row, although some of his tactics, possibly brought about by total devotion to the cause, evoked consternation among the spectators and the wrath in one instance of the referee. At no stage did Hornby capitulate in spite of a battering In rucks and mauls, lineouts and scrums. It probably played its best football in the last quarter of the game when it was desperately unlucky not to score at least once. The hooker, Ces Patrick, had a fine all-round game. High School Old Boys 21, Albion 9. ' Old Boys: N. Ward (2), R. Leggat tries; J. Whelan three conversions, penalty goal. Albion: M. Cairns two penalty goals; R. Robertson dropped goal. Half-time: 9-3. Referee: Mr S. P. Garland. Nigel Ward made an immediate mark on his reappearance for High School Old Boys in senior rugby. He contributed two of his team’s three tries in its rather flattering victory against Albion at Lancaster Park South. Playing at centre instead of in his accustomed loose forward role, the rangy Ward showed good positional skills and was extremely difficult to Stop when the try-line beckoned. Albion expended considerable energy, threatening the Old Boys line on numerous occasions, but lacked the polish to cap its vigorous efforts. The bigger Old Boys forwards gave Albion a torrid time in scrums and they had tiie better of set pieces, but

Albion foraged tigerishly and the back-line, especially David Kett at centre, had its moments on attack. In Andrew . Rich, Old Boys have unearthed a talented ball-winner from line-outs and his fellow lock, Ken Pope, lent a helping hand in the tight Rod McDonald had a productive day in the loose, using his speed and strength to win second-phase possession. Kett and Tim Palmer ran purposefully for Albion and Ralph Robertson proved his worth at halfback. The Old Boys backs lacked cohesion but defended ably, Richard Henderson making some brave takes under pressure. Lincoln College 39, New Brighton 9 Lincoln College: R. Lough, K. Hore, D. Hutchinson (2), G. Cavell, P. Schuler, A. Owen, tries; H. McGregor, four conversions, penalty goal. New Brighton: A. Thom, try; L. Stephenson, conversion, penalty goal. Half-time: 21-3. Referee: Mr G. F, Collins. With both forwards and backs playing positive, attacking football, Lincoln College comfortably defeated New Brighton in a fast-moving game on the firm turf of Rugby Park. Lincoln went to an 18-point lead at half-time, and although New Brighton came back somewhat in the second spell the issue was never in doubt. The foundation of the Lincoln College success was laid in the forwards, who were superior in every facet of Play. Mark Macatamaney and John Gregan were a solid pair of locks who not only controlled the line-outs but also were a force in rucks and mauls. The pack as a whole was notable for the support play and in this the loose forwards, lan Fleming and Richard Wilson, were outstanding. Given good service by the half-back, Richard Lough, the Lincoln backs ran confidently and showed a sharpness on attack lacking in the opposition. Kelvin Hore was a reliable first five-eighths and the incisive play of the midfield backs, Dave Hutchinson and Hugh Murchison, constantly tested the New Brighton defence. This straight running almost invariably meant the advantage line was breached. Andrew Thom and Darren Avery were the best of the New Brighton pack and Wayne Burleigh showed up in a back-line which had few opportunities. Lance Stephenson was an able full-back and his retirement through injury in the second spell left a hole in the defence, for only Burleigh was as consistent a defender. Marist 22, Belfast 10 Marist: M. Connell, M. Vincent tries; K. Hansen conversion, three penalty goals,' A. Houston dropped goal. Belfast: H. Rickit try; R, MacDonald two penalty goals. Half-time: 15-3. Referee: .Mr R. B. Rudkin. Poor passing, and Marist was only slightly less blameworthy then Belfast, prevented this early game at Lancaster Park from rising to any great heights. Marist badly missed the steadying influence of Steve Hansen (out with a broken toe), and as a result the backs struggled throughout to make much headway. The Belfast backs, in fact, were the more dangerous, especially in the second spell when their forwards won a greater share of possession, and they also counter-at-tacked boldly. Dropped passes, though, were a constant handicap. The Marist forwards, however, had the game pretty much under control. Mark Connell, Adrian Kennedy and Greg Hills all had sound games, with Hills’s speed in the loose of enormous value. Mason Fisher was a lively half-back, as good as another lapse forward when he ajcted to run. But apart mtn the wings, Mark Vin-

cent, who has a good turn of speed, and John McKendry, a determined chaser, the rest of the Marist backs were rather ordinary. Belfast, too, had an M. Vincent, this one being Mardy, on its right wing, and he was a difficult man to stop, with George Dolan providing some midfield punch. In the forwards Andrew Mills arid Hud Rickit-made their presence felt in the second half line-outs, and David Reid and John Retallick toiled honestly in the tight. The second spell was drawn, 7-7, and Marist could consider itself lucky to be safely clear at half-time. If Belfast had held Its passes better it could have been quite a different story. :■ ■ ■:'< Sydenham 44, Lyttelton 4 Sydenham: N. Tamatea (3), A. Edge, J. Cook, J. Tapiata, G. Bull, tries; B. Nicoll five conversions, two penalty goals. Lyttelton: P. St John try. Half-time: 29-9. Referee: Mr A. R. Taylor. The scoring of three tries in the first 12 minutes set Sydenham on the way to an emphatic win over Lyttelton at Denton Park. Sydenham charged like men possessed at Lyttelton from the kick-off and were rewarded with a quick try to Ned Tamatea on the left wing. Then the nuggety halfback, Alan Edge, scored between the posts, and it did not have to wait long before the No. 8, John Cook, crossed the line. Lyttelton never fully recovered from that early onslaught. In spite of matching Sydenham in the line-outs through some good work by Craig Prier the ball was usually untidy and always closely followed by at least one of the members of the Sydenham pack. The Sydenham captain, Grant Ball, led his front row by example and was instrumental in keeping Lyttelton on the back foot for most of the match. The few attacks Lyttelton managed to launch at Sydenham came mostly through their speedy wing, Gary Buckley, who was, along with Tony Bachop, the pick of their backs. \ The game was played at a cracking pace in the first half with a feature being Sydenham’s willingness to spin the ball wide. Most impressive was Kevin Kingston’s strong running through the centres and Tamatea’s finishing on the wing. Sydenham was content to slow the game down in the second half and some credit must go to Lyttelton for the way it persevered. It scored a consolation try but fittingly it was Tamatea who closed the match with a runaway try. Suburbs 22, Merivale 9 Suburbs: S. Richards, G. O’Malley, G. Roberts, J. Bennie, C. Mcßeth tries; N. McKay conversion. Merivale: A. Sherwood 3 penalty goals. Referee: Mr H. R. Catherwood. In a game that at no stage reached any great heights. Suburbs comfortably defeated Merivale, but not without a few minor difficulties, many of them of their own making. Both sides struggled with the fundamentals, although the victors played more as a team with few outstanding individual performances. In their skipper for the day, however, they had the man of the match. Jim Bennie impressed with everything he did, taking good lineout ball, being formidable in the loose on attack, and often being prominent on defence. His principal ally in the forwards was Ross Dore, and in backline that suffered froga faulty handling, Uaig Math and Gary Rcwrts hatTgood individual games.

Suburbs 22, Merivale 9

P W L F A Pt Unw. 4 4 0 67 40 16 Shirley 4 3 1 108 26 13 Hornby 4 3 I 102 37 12 Univ. 3 3 0 97 35 12 Chch 3 2 1 71 40 9 Marist 3 2 1 58 38 9 Syden. 4 2 2 94 48 8 Burnside 4 2 2 88 115 8 Belfast 3 2 1 64 38 8 H.S.O.B. 3 1 2 44 51 5 Un. Coll. 3 1 2 61 60 4 New Br. 4 1 3 45 113 4 Suburbs 3 1 2 40 52 4 Albion 3 1 2 39 68 4 Merivale 4 0 4 27 92 0 Lyttelton 4 0 4 17 169 0