Sorensen could play for Kiwis

Press, 6 October 1989, Page 52

Sorensen could play for Kiwis

NZPA

York

The captain of world club challenge champion, Widnes, Kurt Sorensen, may get a Kiwi test call-up against Britain on October 21.

The Kiwi coach, Tony Gordon, was more than impressed with Sorensen’s performance as Widnes outplayed the Winfield Cup holder, Canberra, 3018, at Old Trafford yesterday. The Kiwis were guests of the British rugby league at the match. “They played him second row against Canberra and I thought he busted the line quite well,” Mr Gordon said. “His defensive play was on par. He had a strong game in the second row even though most of the season he has played as open side prop. “He is definitely available (for the tests). But it’s another couple of games yet before I start looking into what we’re going to do.” The 32-year-old, who has 23 test caps, last played for New Zealand in 1988 against Australia in the World Cup final.

His performance yesterday, some observers said, was much better than anything any of the Kiwi forwards had produced in the tour’s first two matches.

He consistently broke the Canberra line and showed superb handling skills. Mr Gordon said Sorensen’s good form would bring about that extra element of competition for a test place. “Kurt’s a match hardened player. He’s had about a dozen games under his belt so far’this season.

“Most of our players have had time out and over the next couple of games, they’ve got to prove themselves. “It makes everybody work and there’s no way that there’s a walk up start.”

The other New Zealander involved in the match, a prop, Joe Grima, also impressed Mr Gordon with his “donkey work.”

Mr Gordon was keen to see the former Wellington rugby representative, Emosi Koloto, playing but the loose forward is sidelined for a month because of injury. “There have been a lot of good reports about his performances over here. But because he’s out we probably now can’t consider him for. the first test.”

In the world club challenge match yesterday, Widnes ran in six tries to Canberra’s three for a deserved win over the Australian champion, which lost the centres, Mai Meninga, and Laurie Daley, within two minutes.

Meninga, who had scored his team’s first try, was replaced because of a knee injury at half-time and Daley was sent to the sin-bin for 10 minutes after for a dangerous tackle.

The Widnes centre, Jonathon Davies, collapsed over the tryline after being tackled by Daley, puting his side ahead for the first time.

Davies played on, Martin Offiah scored the first

of two touchdowns for the English side eight minutes later and Widnes was not headed.

“Obviously the intensity wasn’t there we had last week in the grand final against Balmain and it is very hard to get yourself back up after such a performance,” said Meninga. “But we’re not offering any excuses — Widnes were the better side on the night.” Meninga said his knee injury did not leave him in any doubt of missing games next season. The Raiders skipper scored an early try and after Chris O’Sullivan touched down in the fifteenth minute the Raiders looked set for a big win. Down 12-0, Widnes hit back in the twentyseventh minute when Paul Hulme accepted a pass from his brother and man of the match David to score an unconverted four-pointer. With five minutes to go in the first half, Grima sent the Australian-born hooker, Phil McKenzie, racing towards the line. McKenzie put the speedy wing, Offiah, over and a soaring conversion from Davies had Widnes only two points behind at the break.

The Raiders appeared to lose direction when Meninga failed to take the field after half-time, with Widnes and the Balmain centre, Andy Currier, sending Davies sprinting towards the comer in the forty-second minute.

Daley’s tackle was about one metre from the tryline near the far sideline and appeared to strike Davies around the neck. The French referee, Francis Despla, consulted his touch judges before despatching the teen-age centre to the sinbin.

Revelling in the absence of Meninga and Daley, Davies’s centre partner, Darren Wright, made a spectacular break in the fiftieth minute which saw Offiah go over.

Four minutes later, Offiah brilliantly gathered in a pass to put the lock, Richard Eyres, in for a touchdown which Davies converted.

A 12-point deficit remained until the seventyfirst minute, when Daley appeared certain to score before knocking on over the line.

From the ensuing play, the Widnes replacement, Barry Dowd, split the Raiders’ defence and Wright finished off to ensure the world title would stay in the Northern Hemisphere.

“Once we found out they were human we just relied on our own abilities,” said Sorensen.

Widnes 30 (Martin Offiah 2, Paul Hulme, Jonathon Davies, Richard Eyres, Darren Wright, tries; Davies 3 goals) b Canberra 18 (Mai Meninga, Chris O’Sullivan, Steve Walters tries; Matthew Wood 2, O’Sullivan goals) at Old Trafford. Referee: Francis Despla (France). Crowd: 30,786.