RUGBY FOOTBALL Otago Visitors Should Extend West Coast

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 August 1950, Page 3 (Supplement)

RUGBY FOOTBALL Otago Visitors Should Extend West Coast

The third' successive representative match for the West Coast team, to’ be played tomorrow, promises to be oho of the hardest, though the Seddoin Shield will not be at stake. And neither of the two previous matches, against Nelson and Marlborough, could be said to. have been easy. Tomorrow’s opponent will be the touring Otago Sub-Unions team, and something of the style that has made the Otago Ranfurly Shield side one of the outstanding provincial sides in New Zealand Rugby history, should be revealed, for the spacious Otago back-coun-try has provided many of the players who have helped to mould Otago’s record. It is a pity that the mqteli is to be played at Hokitika from the point of view of gate receipts, for the West Coast Union has to guarantee £5O towards the expenses of the visiting team, and the return at Hokitika is bound Io be much smaller than at Grevmouth.

The touring Otago side has established a good record in the past few weeks and is certain to be the strongest of the minor unions teajns to undertake this tour. Its record so far is as follows:— v Canterbury Sub-Unions, won 13-6. v Marlborough, won 15-6. v Nelson, drew 10-10. v G.8.-Motueka, won 12-6. v Buller, lost 0-5.

The match with West Coast tomorrow will be the last on the itinerary and the team will leave next week on return to Otago. Coast's Record

West Coast played this season three of the teams which have met Otago, the results being as follows: — v Marlborough, won 8-0. v Nelson, won 6-0.

v Buller, won 6-3.

The Coast team also played Canterbury Sub-Unions last'season,. for a 16-6 loss.

West Coast played Otago SubUnions at Carisbrook last year when on tour of the southern minor unions, and lost to the home team by 6 points to 3. This gdme was hard-fought, but honours lay with West Coast. Otago scored one try, while the fullback, W. Wilson, who is in the present team and an outstanding custodian, kicked a penalty. J. Lindbom kicked a penalty for West Coast, but failed with two easier shots. Coast was all over Otago in the final stages, and did everything but score, though G. Nelson went over to touch down, only to be recalled, as the referee had been accidentally knocked down and had failed to see the movement. ,

Playing Again

Several of the Otago players who took part in that match last year are members of the present touring party. They are the full-back, W. Wilson; a centre, I. Purvis; a winger, J. Falloon; half-back, G. Turner, and forwards, E. Muir, E. Mackie, and D. Kerr. L. Harvey and S. Stringer were reserves.

Strangely enough, it was the Coast forwards who dominated play at Carisbrook last year, but Otago .will be fielding a stronger side tomorrow. The Otago pack will include the two McNabs, who are brothers of Otago’s All Black forward, and a first-class hooker in I. McKnight, who was not available for last year’s match. The West Coast team will be greatly changed from that which played Otago, and only three backs, J. Lindbom, J. Gillan, and R. Breeze, remain. Of the forwards, only D. McKendry (for a quarter of an hour), K. Fisher, M. Wells, and G. W. Nelson played in last year’s match.

While taking advantage of tomorrow’s non-trophy game to give the Seddon Shield team reserve players a run, the West Coast selector, Mr R. R. King, has not weakened the team, and the back-line, if anything, looks stronger. The inclusion of R. Breeze, with the transfer of E. G. Walker and R. Stoop further out in the backline, adds another’ attacking unit in an already enterprising rearguard, and the backs should be able to take full advantage of any weaknesses in the Otago side tomorrow.