Captain wants clean slate

Press, 21 October 1989, Page 96

Captain wants clean slate

The British rugby league captain, Mike Gregory, is looking for a series whitewash of the Kiwis to avenge a bitter defeat in Christchurch last year. The new captain, Gregory, aged 25, alleged that Britain had been robbed when New Zealand beat them 12-10 in Christchurch. The test decided who would meet Australia in the World Cup final. The blond loose forward, who will lead Britain in the absence of the injured Ellery Hanley, was furious when the referee, Mike Stone, ruled out what would have been a match-winning try to the halfback, Andy Gregory. Mr Stone had said angry Andy

Gregory had gone in off a forward pass. “We haven’t forgotten it,” Mike Gregory said yesterday. “We can’t forget it. We thought we won with a fair try. We want to win the first test. Then we want to build from there and whitewash the Kiwis.” Britain has not won a series against the Kiwis since 1979 in New Zealand.

The last series it won against the Kiwis in England was in 1965. The last two series on English soil have been drawn.

In 1985 New Zealand won the first test, 24-22, lost the second,

25-8, and drew 6-6 in the decider. In 1980, Britain won the third test, 10-2, to square the series. While Mike Gregory made the series win sound like a simple matter he did not see it that way. He said the Kiwis were much better than their ieadup form in six matches had suggested.

“We’ve seen quite a few tapes, we know their strengths and weaknesses,” he said.

“We can’t go off the way they’ve been going in club matches. The test will be five yards faster. It’ll be very physical.”