Rugby captain set to rejoin team

Press, 15 September 1988, Page 48

Rugby captain set to rejoin team

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

The leg soreness which led to the late withdrawal of the Canterbury rugby captain, Albert Anderson, from the team which played Manawatu in the national first division championship last Saturday, has alleviated.

Anderson suffered the ailment in a training run shortly before the Canterbury team headed towards Palmerston North and he was replaced by the former Manawatu lock, Chris England. The captaincy was bestowed on the No. 8, Andy Earl, who has cut an inspirational figure this season, ahead of two players who had captained Canterbury this year, John Buchan and Stephen Bachop. Anderson remains mystified as to what caused his complaint. It was suspected that he had suffered hamstring strains in both legs, but Anderson has had no previous history of hamstring trouble and, as he commented yesterday, “It would be unusual to have both go at once.” “But it seems to have come right whatever it was and I had no worries at training Tuesday night.”

Anderson, aged 27 and a veteran of 114 matches for Canterbury A as well as 25 for the All Blacks, will join the increasing exodus of rugby players to the northern hemisphere at the end of the domestic season. A clearance to play in Britain in the off season has been sent to the New Zealand R.F.U. for final approval. It is the first time that Anderson, who assists on the family farm at Southbridge, has ventured abroad on his own accord. “It’s not the best here at present is it? I’ve got a job on a farm and a club to play for.” The club is Sudbury in England and Anderson has the mandatory 12-week wait before he is eligible to play in the league games. In the meantime he expects to participate in some invitation and second XV matches. Anderson’s immediate

consideration, however, is the three remaining championship games on the Canterbury agenda, and he is taking each game in turn. “Our next opponent is Otago, our next goal is to beat them.” The Canterbury team to oppose Otago at Lancaster Park on Saturday will be named after training this evening, and it is expected that the coach, Doug Bruce, will have a full complement from which to select his XV. Warwick Taylor, troubled by discs at the top of his spine, completed Tuesday’s training run with no apparent discomfort, and the New Zealand Universities flanker, Dallas Seymour, who received a blow to the cheekbone against Manawatu, should be in the reckoning for one of the flanker’s positions. Seymour allowed the openside specialist, Stephen Dods, a well-

earned rest against Manawatu, and Mr Bruce, unless he sees Seymour as a possible prospect on the blindside, will have a difficult job deciding between the two. • The former All Black halfback, Dean Kenny, will be missing from Otago’s lineup against Canterbury. He had surgery on Tuesday morning after tearing the cartilage of his left knee in three places against Waikato almost a fortnight ago. The injury was aggravated against Wellington last Saturday and he left the field after 21min. Kenny will miss the Canterbury match and also Otago’s Ranfurly Shield challenge against Auckland on September 24.

However, he expects to be recovered in time to play his 100th game for his province against Counties at Carisbrook on October 1.