Australians will not lack desire—coach

Press, 14 July 1989, Page 40

Australians will not lack desire—coach

'■•••• ■ • ’.7-. .x NZPA-AAP :•>/ Rotorua Australia will not lack desire in Sun- : Ai day’s second test against New Zealand in \'J Rotorua after missing a shot at rugbyj ' league history bn Wednesday, the coach,ABob Fulton, said yesterday. •' The underdog, Auckland, boosted New;?. Zealand’s hopes of saving the trans-/-' Tasman test series with a 26-24 win at 5, , i Carlaw Park. Mr Fulton said his players had put the : loss behind them but were “dirty” about missing a shot at becoming the first Australian team to tour New Zealand;- i without losing a match. ‘ / r “They’re really dirty on theniselves for losing,” said Fulton, who >. also dropped his first match as Australian/ ' coach. . 1 “But that has to work in our favour,, Sunday. . . “We would have been happy to settle for a 24-all draw, even though we could still have won except for the 27th man,” he said, taking a parting shot at the referee, Bill Shrimpton. Shrimpton awarded the penalty which 1 enabled the Auckland five-eighths, Kelly Shelford, to land the match-winning penalty-goal. An elated Auckland coach, Cameron , Bell, rated his team’s win — its first over Australia since 1971, and Australia’s first ' non-test loss since 1980 — as being worth five points; to the Kiwis’ sagging spirits. $: , ■

Fulton and his co-selectors, Peter Moore, Kevin Braseh and Lewis, last everting stuck with the team which won thes'jfirst test in Christchurch, 26-6. Iti spite of confusing medical opinion, thprCanberra rookie; Bradley Clyde, has been cleared. ■ i- . Clyde still had nd feeling down one side of his face yesterday and was urtcertain whether he had suffered a hairline fracture of the cheek on Wednesday. “The specialist wanted to send me straight home, but that was only because he was a New Zealander,” Clyde said with a smile. “I’ve still got no feeling down the side of my face but the doctor reckons I’ll be okay by Sunday.” Clyde copped an accidental punch in the face from Australian team-mate Bruce? McGuire near the end of the game against Auckland. Meanwhile, Auckland’s revival of the outlawed flying wedge on two separate occasions has. concerned Mr Fulton enough for him to seek a ruling on the tactic from the test referee, Ray Tennant. The Australian team is: Gary Belcher, Dale Shearer, Mai Meninga, Tony Currie, Michael Hancock, Wally Lewis (captain), Greg Alexander, Sam Backo, Kerrod Walters, Steve Roach, Paul Sironen, Bradley Clyde, Paul Vautin (vice-captain). Reserves. —Des Hasler, ‘ Michael O’Connor, Bruce* McGuire, David Trewhella.