Satisfactory but difficult year for Canterbury rugby

Press, 9 October 1987, Page 36

Satisfactory but difficult year for Canterbury rugby

808 SCHUMACHER reflects on a Canterbury rugby season which had its share of high and low points

The minority can often give the majority a bad name and that occurred for the Canterbury rugby public this season when a few uncouth and uncalled for comments directed at the A team’s coaches, Doug Bruce and Andy Holland, left a sour taste. It was never going to be easy for Messrs Bruce and Holland to take over the running of a team which had functioned so smoothly and successfully under the astute, firm command of Alex Wyllie. It was not easy for the Canterbury coaches to sit in the No. 3 stand at Lancaster Park and watch their team succumb four times at home in one season after having lost only two games in 47 at the ground in the previous five years. Certainly there were times when Canterbury was but a pale shadow of teams of recent seasons, and that it played below the expected standard was a fact that neither the coaches nor the players ever tried to disguise. They knew they had let Canterbury down on occasions, they did not need or deserve to be subjected to the derisive remarks uttered by a few supposed supporters as defeat became obvious. The game would be better off without those spectators. In retrospect, Canterbury had a satisfactory year, one which could almost have been termed fruitful had a little more discipline prevailed in

some matches which went the way of the opposition. In spite of starting the season with a new coach, a new captain and a number of newcombers, Canterbury managed 15 wins from 21 matches and shared the South Pacific championship with Auckland after being the outright winner of the competition in its inaugural year in 1986. After losing three of its first five matches in the national first division championship, Canterbury saved face by winning three of the next five and occupied a place in the top half of the competition. In all, it scored 607 points and conceded 307. Thirteen of Canterbury’s matches were away from home and the team lost only two of these fixtures, by three points to Otago and by two points to Bay of Plenty in a match which Canterbury should never have lost after leading by seven points with lOmln remaining. Among the teams beaten on their ovals were Queensland, Auckland, Wellington, Wairarapa-Bush, Taranaki and Counties. It was the loss to Otago in the opening championship game which had Canterbury reeling from the start. Even though the end result was close, Canterbury gave one of its most ineffectual displays for many a winter. Unfortunately Canterbury was not given any time to establish firm

footing as the championship programme had Auckland as its next rival. Canterbury played well that day, but the Ranfuriy Shield holder was too strong and cohesive in the forwards and produced a match-winner in the dynamic right wing, John Kirwan. After a clean sweep of matches on its first North Island venture, Canterbury returned home to lose to Wellington after leading at the interval, but it redeemed itself by scoring a record win against Manawatu only to lose by a record margin against North Auckland in its next appearance on Lancaster Park. At least there was an encouraging end to the season; a comprehensive away win against Counties and a scintillating secondhalf performance which destroyed Waikato. As Mr Bruce remarked at the end of the last match, it was not the best season for Canterbury in respect to injuries as well as results. Dale Atkins was bothered at the start, and again at the end with injuries, and Robbie Deans was ruled out after the Wellington match, although he had originally been dropped for that game. Deans remains a competent goal-kicker but he has lost some of his speed and all-round skills

of yore. Another vital blow was the departure of the All Black left wing, Craig Green, to Italy after just one championship match and later the other established wing, Joe Leota, was demoted after a loss of confidence which left his defence suspect and his running hesitant In the forwards, John Buchan found it difficult to get the best from his team at times, and he was perhaps too preoccupied at playing a loose forward’s role, but he, as with his predecessor, Don Hayes, may be much the better next season with the captaincy. On the bright side, Shayne Philpott developed into an aggressive and enterprising player in any of the four back positions he filled, although he

chanced his arm once too often on several occasions. Mark Vincent revealed promise on the left wing in his first season and Michael Lake showed enough in four games to suggest he might get a longer run next season. Warwick Taylor was another to suffer through injury and his steadying Influence was missed in midfield. Bruce Deans excelled on cover defence, but he has trad better years at half-back, although the back-pedalling of the scrum in early matches did not afford him too many opportunities to reveal his attacking talents. Stephen Bachop’s progress outside him was measured but he was moving with increased confidence in the later games. Grant Mickell and Chris Earl, both of whom missed only one of the 21 matches, earned their regular places with consistent performances, but there was none better in the field of honest toil than Albert Anderson, the Canterbury "Player of the Year.” The All Black, Andy Earl, really hit his straps in the later part of the season, Atkins was of immense value driving from the back of the scrum, and nobody tackled more than the flanker, John McCaw. However, the forward find was Stephen Dods, whose pace and anticipation made life

miserable for the inside backs of opposing teams. Mr Bruce is available for re-election next season and warrants another year as coach. Canterbury had weaknesses this season and not all of them may be overcome next season, but there is a good blend of hard core players and rising recruits who could meld into an effective force, especially as a goal is in sight — a Ranfuriy Shield challenge against Auckland. Canterbury A statistics: Appearances: Grant Mickell, Chris Earl 20; Albert Anderson 19; Murray Davie, John Buchan 18; Shayne Philpott, Bruce Deans, Andy Earl 17; Victor Simpson, Stephen Bachop, Dale Atkins, John McCaw 15; Robbie Deans, Joe Leota, Wayne Burleigh 12; Warwick Taylor 11; David Ellis, Stephen Dods 10; Mark Vincent 9; Brent Harvey 7; Craig Green 6; Allan Lindsay, Michael Lake, John Mills, Anthony Dalzell 4; Andrew Rich 3; Craig Philpott, Mark Hudson, Roger Kilpatrick 2; Gordon Ngatal, Steve Hansen, Kerry Mitchell, Andrew Slmcock, Colin Williamson 1. Leading points scorers: R. Deans 157; S. Philpott 120; Leota 36; Bachop 30; Dods 28; Ellis, Vincent 24; Green, A. Earl, Atkins 20. Top try-scorers: Leota 9; S. Philpott, Dods 7; Bachop, Ellis, Vincent 6; Green, A. Earl, Atkins 5; Mickell, Dalzell 4; Lindsay 3.