Team to imitate All Blacks

Press, 11 October 1988, Page 38

Team to imitate All Blacks

PA Wellington The New Zealand Divisional 15 team will imitate as closely as possible the champion All Black style of rugby on its whistle stop tour of the South Pacific Islands, said the coach, Lane Penn, yesterday.

The team departs Auckland today on a six-match, three-week tour of the Cook Islands, Tonga and Fiji.

“We’ll he looking to play entertaining mobile rugby which involves the whole team,” Mr Penn said.

On Sunday the New Zealand Maoris team left on its tour of France including deviations to Spain, Italy and Argentina with the coach, Mattie Blackburn, saying his

team too would stick closely to the All Black pattern. Mr Penn will use the formula which has seen New Zealand win the World Cup last year and the World Universities championship this year.

“We will endeavour to imitate the same style of play but within our limitations,” he said. “A lot of the players in this team haven’t played at the level they are about to so it will be something different for them and will give them experience.” The Divisional 15 has a useful blend of mature and experienced players along with youth and talent.

A former All Black flanker, Mark Shaw, leads the side which has All

Blacks Robbie McLean, Brent Anderson, Matthew Cooper and triaiists Brent McKenzie, John Hainsworth, Glynn Meads and Frank Marfell.

Even kicking on tour will not be a problem with the Marlborough first-five, lan Stark, who was third in the national championship pointscoring list behind All Blacks Grant Fox and John Gallagher. Stark’s 194 points for the season included six tries and 32 penalties. Mr Penn, who assisted the All Black coach, Alex Wyllie, on the tour of Australia, was happy after two training sessions together. “It’s been good with the chaps coming together really well,” he said. But he still expects an ex-

tremely tough tour. “The competition is going to be very solid. We’re certainly not going to be taking it easy. The temperatures in the tropics for sure will affect us and it will take us a while to acclimatise.” Mr Penn has studied World Cup videos of the Tongan matches and Fiji’s recent forays at international level. The Divisional 15 can expect its toughest matches against Tonga and the two Fijian sides.

The Fiji XV and Fiji B sides, particularly, will be at full strength with a whole host of international players being named in both teams. The tour finishes at the end of the month.