Big corporal boosts rugby pack

Press, 4 May 1988, Page 76

Big corporal boosts rugby pack

Canterbury rugby in general and the High School Old Boys Club in particular have received a boost with the arrival in Christchurch of Ralph Wallace, a hefty lock forward with 21 appearances for Waikato to his credit. Wallace has a commanding presence on the field — he stands almost 2m in his boots and weighs 120 kg. Consequently he will add con-

siderable body to the Old Boys pack, which is often in the lightweight class. He was born in Germany — the son of a British Army warrant officer — and accompanied his parents to New Zealand in 1973 after his father retired. The family settled in Whangarei, and Ralph Wallace joined the New Zealand Army when he was 16. He has been posted to Christchurch from the Waikato with the

rank of corporal. The Canterbury Rugby Union last October repealed the old residential qualification law, which cost the Belfast senior team winning points against Sydenham when Wayne Smith played too soon after returning from Italy. In Wallace’s case, a transfer from another union requires him to serve out a two-week qualifying period. But this

is back-dated to the time of his posting, so he might well be eligible to turn out for Old Boys against Hornby this Saturday.

The executive officer of the Canterbury union, Mr Warren Barbarel, confirmed yesterday that the former Manawatu loose forward, Murray Henderson, who appeared for Marist against Lyttelton last week-end, was covered by this posting provision.