Anderson hits 100 matches for Canty

Press, 16 September 1987, Page 68

Anderson hits 100 matches for Canty

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

Lancaster Park has been the scene for many of the most memorable moments of Albert Anderson’s Canterbury rugby career and today’s National Mutual championship match against North Auckland should add to his reminiscences in future years.

It is highly probable

that the chief stoker in the engine room of the Canterbury scrum will lead the red-and-blacks from the tunnel and onto the oval this afternoon in recognition of his one hundredth appearance for the A team.

From sturdy Southbridge stock, Anderson has been a durable warrior in Canterbury’s campaign since he first packed down at lock with David White against West Coast in 1981.

Not one to keep a running log of his appearances, Anderson was amazed that he had reached a century of games so quickly. He remembers being one of the new lads and it did not seem that long ago. At 26 years, Anderson is no longer one of the Canterbury team’s whipping boys. After playing an integral part in Canterbury’s Ranfurly Shield reign, he graduated as a senior master and he still has a lesson or two to hand out. There has been no sign of either his enthusiasm or dedication waning. Earlier this season, Anderson experienced another proud occasion at Lancaster Park. His only World Cup match for the All Blacks was against Fiji on his home ground. Perhaps because of that period of relative inactivity with the World Cup squad, Anderson has taken a few games to warm to his work in the first division championship. However, he has been at his very best in the last three matches and Canterbury will rely on its tallest player to give it

parity in the lineouts with North Auckland, which has the services of two former All Black locks, Alastair Robinson and Michael Speight, who has tested Anderson’s patience as much as his lineout skills in recent clashes.

Canterbury’s impressive victory against Manawatu last Saturday and North Auckland’s loss eight days ago to a battling Wairarapa-Bush point to a home team success. North Auckland can hardly gain much confidence from its record against Canterbury in the national championship. They have met 10 times and Canterbury has won on eight occasions, most times decisively. The first-year North Auckland senior coach, Danny O’Shea, has introduced two newcomers, Grant Wilson, at No. 8, who will have the unenviable task of marking Dale Atkins, and the tight-head prop, Les Watene. Wilson steps in for the province’s most capped player of present days.

Neil Ruddell, who was concussed last week and will be out for the rest of the season.

Mr O’Shea said yesterday that he was reasonably happy with North Auckland’s progress earlier in the season when it beat Taranaki and Counties and was not disgraced against Auckland or Wellington.

“But we let ourselves down in our last two games (losses to Waikato and Wairarapa-Bush) by making basic mistakes. You cannot afford those lapses at first division level.”

, Although agreeing that North Auckland had the potential to win plenty of ball, especially through its lineout kingpins, Robinson, at 1.93 m, and Speight, at 1.95 m, Mr O’Shea remarked that it had not always happened. “We haven’t done as well as we would have liked at times.”

He was hoping that Lancaster Park would remain firm for the match. “We are happy on hard ground, we hope it stays that way.” The teams are:

Canterbury: Shayne Philpott; David Ellis, Victor Simpson, Mark Vincent; Warwick Taylor, Stephen Bachop; Bruce Deans; Dale Atkins; Stephen Dods, Albert Anderson, Andy Earl or Craig Philpott, Grant Mickell; Chris Earl, John Buchan (captain), Murray Davie. North Auckland: Warren Johnston; Kawhena Woodman, Charles Going, Fred Woodman; Michael Younger, lan Dunn; Chris Hull; Grant Wilson; Kim Phillips, Alastair Robinson (captain), Michael Speight, Frank Lamborn; Les Watene, Willie Phillips, Bill le Clerc.

Referee: Mr Murray Jarvis (Southland).