Country seeking rugby hat-trick

Press, 20 May 1987, Page 72

Country seeking rugby hat-trick

By

KEVIN McMENAMIN

The Canterbury Country rugby team will be seeking its third successive win over Mid-Canterbury when they play their annual match at the Ashburton Show Grounds today. Country will have the advantage of already having had two games this season — both, against Canterbury Maoris and Nelson Bays, producing good wins — while Mid-Canterbury is only just starting its programme. However, as the Country coach, Tom McLay, said yesterday, “One can never be confident when tackling Mid-Canter-bury on their home ground.” Mr McLay said he believed it was Country’s superior fitness which allowed it to beat Nelson Bays by the comfortable margin of 21-0 last week, and while he expected a faster game today he thought his team should still finish strongly. Country is due to play Marlborough at Rangiora next week in its final outing before the Town v. Country fixture at Queen’s Birthday. However, this match has still to be confirmed and Mr McLay is worried that his side will be left a game short. “For this reason we will be looking for

a good performance against Mid-Canter-bury. I have little doubt that it will be the hard game we need,” he said. One of Country’s problems could be in winning line-out ball. Still turning out for Mid-Canterbury at the age of 38 is Jock Ross and his locking partner today will be Vernon Muir in his first game for the province. Ross has played 156. Muir is 2m tall, and for once Ross will have a locking partner very nearly, although not quite, of matching height. The one other newcomer in the MidCanterbury team is the left wing, Graham McPhail, a son of the 1959 AU Black, Bruce McPhail. The day will be a special one, too, for the flanker, Warren Frew. It will be his 100th first-class match. The teams are.— Canterbury Country: Lee Golding; John McAllister, Kevin Allan, Andy Henderson; Grant Wright, Dave Nicholls; Malcolm Campbell; Don Rennie (captain); Gavin Hill or Mark Nevin, Andy ’ Jones, Chris Stewart, Anthony Dalzell; Kerry Pauling, Geoff Rodgers, Stu Loe or Mark Forrester. Mid-Canterbury: Hamish Molloy; Geoff Frew, Andrew Cartwright, Graham McPhail; Ricky Rolleston, Murray McLeod; Brian McCormack; Paul Cunneen; Warren Frew, Jock Ross, Vernon Muir, Alistair Morrison; Allan Hill, Robin Thomas,, Jock Harrison.