Wing shines in All Black trial

Press, 1 June 1989, Page 56

Wing shines in All Black trial

PA Hamilton A New Zealand Colt, Va’aiga Tuigamala, stole the show at the All Black rugby trial in Hamilton yesterday, scoring three tries for the Possibles against the Probables on a day of profit for left wings.

The Probables, virtually last year’s test side, won an entertaining — though at times scrappy — encounter, 31-25, in sunny weather on a soft Rugby Park., Tuigamala showed the crowd of 19,000 different facets of his wing skills in each of his three tries. In the first, he toed on an up-and-under by the halfback, Graeme Bachop, ahead of three defenders, then slid over the line with the ball. For the second, he finished a backline move by fending off his marker, the utility back, Berhie McCahill. Then, with two minutes to go, after a tighthead, the ball was moved to the 19-year-old Aucklander who stepped neatly inside the opposition halfback, Bruce Deans, to dot down. Tuigamala left Rugby Park immediately after the match. The Possibles coach, Earl Kirton, said he had gone back to Auckland to play for Ponsonby in a club match last evening. The Probables left wing, Terry Wright, whose place Tuigamala is chasing in both the Auckland and All Black sides, got two tries of his own. He opened the try-scor-ing by gathering his own kick ahead, then got a second right on half-time.

The fullback, John Gallagher, who had an impressive game with some timely entries into the backline, raced into a gap to put Wright clear. Other tries went to the centres on both sides. Probable Joe Stanley got his from an intercept, while for the Possibles Matthew Cooper was on hand after his forwards won second phase possession following a dab by Tuigamala. The Possibles first fiveeights, Grant Fox, kicked seven from nine to finish with a personal points tally of 19. While the Probables led throughout and always had the match in hand, the Possibles, who had only two training runs behind them, kept coming back doggedly. Their lack of time together showed in their opponents’ superiority in the scrums and the mauls. The tightheads were shared one apiece by hookers Sean Fitzpatick and Warren Gatland, but the Possibles’ scrum was less solid and was marched back 10 or more metres on a couple of occasions. The Probables, with Murray Pierce and Alan and Gary Whetton dominant, also controlled the lineouts early on. The count was seven to three

in their favour at halftime. But the Possibles came back in the second half, with their tall lock, lan Jones, getting some good possession, tying the final tally at 12-12. The flanker, Kevin Schuler, also had a good game for the Possibles, halting barging runs by Wayne Shelford. In the backs, the Possibles first five-eights, Frano Botica, showed his class in both attack and defence. He saved one certain try when he raced from the other side of the field to put John Schuster out just short of the corner flag. The Probables and All Black coach, Alex Wyllie, said the trial had given the selectors some food for thought. “There are always warnings, and I think a lot came out of the match,” he said. “Some of the individuals themselves will realise they have some work to do — not so much physical work, more in their mental approach.” Mr Wyllie said the Probables’ scrummaging was good, but added that the ball coming back from the forwards was not always quality possession. "That put pressure on

the backs, who were getting knocked down. Some of the time, the backs put pressure on themselves in trying certain moves.” Nevertheless, Mr Wyllie said the match had been a good shake-up for the first test against France in Christchurch on June 17. “Both teams know they have had a hard game and it is the sort of thing that was needed.” Mr Kirton agreed that his players had given the “All Blacks” a good run. “The selectors won’t necessarily have to make changes,” he said. “But it was good to see the All Blacks under a bit of pressure. It was good for them, too, because they know they will have to work.” Mr Kirton said Mr Wyllie would have been delighted with the workout. “Grizz will be delighted because it will make it so much easier for the selectors, and for himself in particular, to crank them up over the next three weeks,” he said. “And I bet they will be fizzing by the time they hit France.” Scorers:—Probables 31 (Terry Wright 2, Joe Stanley, tries; Grant Fox 5 penalty goals, 2 conversions) Possibles 25 (Va’aiga Tuigamala 3, Matthew Cooper, tries; Kieran Crowley 3 conversions, 1 penalty goal). Halftime: 16-9.