N.Z. win costs side players

Press, 14 July 1988, Page 52

N.Z. win costs side players

By DAVID LEGGAT, of NZPA in Townsville The All Blacks got their expected comfortable win over Queensland B under lights in Townsville last evening, but at some cost The tourists rattled on five second half tries to win 39-3 against a Queensland side which spent most of the warm evening on defence before a crowd of about 5000.

However, two players left the field with medial ligament injuries, the second five-eighths, Bernie McCahill and the key flanker, Michael Jones. McCahill’s is regarded as the more serious injury, however Jones’ will be by far the more worrying for the coach, Alex Wyllie, with the second Bledisloe Cup test against Australia just days away.

Jones suffered the injury at a ruck early in the match, battled on until seven minutes before halftime before limping off. The early diagnosis is that Jones should be in contention for the test side, but the concern will be that the injury might linger and restrict his mobility against the Wallabies. Jones’ departure brought the tour captain, Wayne Shelford, on the field and he finished the match with two of the All Blacks’ six tries.

Most of the' match was spent in Queensland’s half. The All Blacks began strongly and never relaxed their grip sufficiently to allow Queensland much more than the occasional sniff of quality possession in attacking situations. Queensland took a hammering in the lineouts in the first half, 157, but by using shorter lineouts after half-time managed to actually shade the tourists 8-7 in the second spell. Several players had excellent games for the All Blacks, none better than the Canterbury pair, Andy Earl and the halfback, Graeme Bachop. Earl, partnering the captain, Alby Anderson, in the second row, won a steady supply of lineout ball, drove strongly and was among the best forwards of the evening. J