Auckland mauls men from Mid

Press, 31 August 1989, Page 48

Auckland mauls men from Mid

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

The venue was new but little else differed when Auckland defended the Ranfurly Shield for the twenty-ninth time against MidCanterbury at the Ashburton Show Grounds yesterday.

There was a curtainraiser, a band played, cheer girls ground and gyrated through their routine remarkably well considering an amplifier fault mean the music was not forthcoming, and Auckland played rugby and won, 66-0. So Mid-Canterbury was consigned to a fate which had befallen 28 other challengers over the last four years. But it kept its dignity and fought a gallant fight in the second spell, restraining Auckland for most of the third quarter and denying it the chance of a record total, a distinct possibility at halftime when the shield holder led, 38-0. The weather and the pitch was good as MidCanterbury kicked off with about 6000 voices willing the forwards to hit and break the Auckland assembly. The MidCanterbury forwards did just that, unfortunately though arriving a split second before the ball. Grant Fox used the penalty to drive MidCanterbury deep into its half and there it stayed for almost all of the first 40min. In the opening minute Fox had a penalty goal attempt and missed, pehaps because his attentions were diverted by the vivid language from those on the grassy bank or possibly because he was amused by the arithmetical gaffes made by some who were trying to count his steps from the ball. Auckland, however, had

the first of its 11 tries in the fourth minute. From the initial scrum, the Auckland backs effected a subtle sleight of hand which deceived the defenders and presented the right wing, John Kirwan, with an unimpeded stroll to the line. The try could be deemed simple, and so could a good many of those to follow, but that it was made to look simple was attributable to the professional manner in which each Aucklander went about his duty. The basics were done well, the support was ever present, the backs ran on to the passes at pace, the passes were delivered with the direction and timing right, the try-scorer often was just adding the gloss. Kirwan was not to figure in the try-scoring act again, although he was involved in the plots which led to several more. Instead the play flowed the way of the New Zealand Colts left wing, Va’aiga Tuigamala, and he swam with the current, surging over for five tries, some the result of hard slog by others, the rest products of his own earnest endeavour. In the last minute Tuigamala could have had a sixth try and equalled the shield record set by the late Ron Jarden against East Coast in 1953. The record was probably the furtherest thing from Tuigamala’s mind as he confronted the last defender a metre or two from the line, a defender it must be

said who looked anything but enthusiastic or confident about stopping the powerful frame descending on him. But out left Tuigamala had support from his fullback and the ball was relayed to Matthew Ridge to complete the formalities. Hundreds of youngsters, no doubt aware that their job was to mob their idols at the finish, swarmed from all quarters to their heroes. But sanity was restored surprisingly quickly, Fox caressed over the conversion, and the mayhem resumed, this time legally. Although the Auckland backs gained 10 of the 11 tries, the control of the forwards in the tight and their mobility in the loose were all too much for Mid-Canterbury. Mid-Canterbury was limited to two line-outs in the first half and six scrums. It gained little second phase possession and the South Canterbury referee, Colin Hawke, came down heavily on Mid-Canterbury, awarding seven of the 10 first-half penalties to Auckland. But if Mid-Canterbury felt like waving a white flag at half-time it kept it hidden. Auckland had to turn its attention to defence for a long spell after the resumption and when Murray Young sliced through in the fiftyfirst minute try looked a distinct possibility. Young kicked, however, when he had support and Zinzan Brooke, an intelligent footballer, had the per-

ception to be in the vicinity and kick the ball dead. Mid-Canterbury, with the loosehead, packed down three successive scrums near Auckland’s line as a result of Brooke’s hasty save, and eventually received a penalty. It took the tap kick but it came unstuck and Auckland got the wheels rolling again, scoring 28 points in the last 22 minutes. Zinzan Brooke and Sean Fitzpatrick roamed freely, popping up in the most unlikely positions but often to Auckland’s advantage, and they were able to adopt these roles because of the solid up front work by Peter Fatialofa, Steve McDowell, Gary Whetton, Robin Brooke and a replacement flanker, Bruce Morton. The exciting Craig Innes impressed in midfield and if he was not tormenting the defence than Tuigamala certainly was. Mid-Canterbury was bravely led by its hooker, Lee McDonald, who knew nothing of submission, and there was resolute defence from Warren Frew, John Harrison and Glen Moore. The backs found themselves outpaced but Graham McPhail tackled stoically and his courage could not be questioned. For Auckland, Va’aiga Tuigamala (5), Craig Innes (2), John Kirwan, Bernie McCahili, Zinzan Brooke and Matthew Ridge scored tries; Grant Fox kicked eight conversions and two penalty goals. Half-time 38-0.