GREAT DAYS IN CANTERBURY SPORT RUGBY LEAGUE

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30959, 15 January 1966, Page 11

GREAT DAYS IN CANTERBURY SPORT RUGBY LEAGUE

OANTERBURY Rugby '■ 7 League teams have taken part in many exciting matches against provinces such as the West Coast and Wellington but the greatest honour that a South Island provincial player can attain is surely to be a member of a team that is victorious over Auckland. In inter-provincial football Auckland has tasted defeat only six times since 1946, five of the wins being recorded by West Coast. Until 1962 Canterbury had won against Auckland only once—nearly 40 years previously—and had drawn in 1955, its best post-war performance. Even with Auckland having to face the arduous task of meeting West Coast on the previous day Canterbury was given virtually no chance of winning the Northern Union Cup on Queen's Birthday Monday, 1962. The previous year Auckland had won, 38-4, at Carlaw Park and in 1959 had totalled 48 points to Canterbury’s five.

Ten current Kiwis were named for Auckland. Canterbury had only three, A. N. Amer, J. A. Bond and M. L. Cooke, with Amer having played international football for only one year. But Canterbury had several promising players, among them, a 20-year-old hooker, G. C. Blackler, a 22-year-old scrum-half, R. S. J. Irvine, one of New Zealand’s most consistent goalkickers in post-war football, A. A. Smith, and an enthusiastic young forward pack prepared to follow Cooke to the end. The teams were:— CANTERBURY: Smith; P. M. V. White: J. D. M. Walshe, P. V. Smith, Amer; Bond, Irvine; Cooke; E. J. Tavendale, M. H. Mohi; G. R. Cooper, Blackler, G. H. Turner. AUCKLAND: B. T. Reidy; N. L. Denton, R. W. Bailey, R. S. Cooke, K. R. McCracken: B. M. Campbell, E. M. Carson; S. A. Hunter; R. D. Hammond, R. C. Ackland; R.

W. Harrison, L. S. Morgan, S. K. Edwards. The match was to have a storybook ending for the little Irvine, playing in his first season for Canterbury. Down, 6-13, with Ifi minutes remaining Canterbury threw everything into the attack. Bond kicked through; Auckland, startled, infringed and was penalised. Smith kicked his fourth goal to cut the deficit to five. With less than 10 minutes remaining, however, Auckland had kept Canterbury at This report on the Canterbury - Auckland Rugby League match in 1962 is the fifth in a series of eight articles on great moments in Canterbury sport. bay. The task was, it seemed, hopeless. . . . But Cooke was never a player to give up with only 71 minutes played out. Blackler, who won 26 of the 42 scrums in his debut, heeled inside his own half. Cooke broke off the scrum, found support from Cooper and Blackler, and the forward trio combined to give White a clear 50-yard run to the posts Smith’s task was a formality. It was now 13-13 with injury time being played. Cup challenges are not won by draws. The large crowd urged Canterbury on and the red-and-black XIII worked back to the Auckland line. Bond received a long pass just out from the posts. He steadied himself for the field goal, changed his mind and ran swiftly to the right, catching Auckland off guard. The dependable Walshe was there to take the pass but surely he would be caught. Then from nowhere there was Irvine. Walshe timed his pass well and Irvine was pounding for the line, head down, knees pumping, to dive over in the corner amongst a cluster of Auckland defenders. Smith’s kick missed but few cared. The final bell had already been rung. . . . There were many heroes in the Canterbury team. Smith's goal-kicking earned him national honours later in the season; Bond had been the hinge on which Canterbury had swung its attacks: and the combination of Bond, Irvine and Cooke was worthy of international class.

In the forwards Blackler and Cooper had made themselves leading candidates for the tour of Australia the following year but Cooper, then playing his greatest football, was unfortunately never given his opportunity in the highest grade. Turner had partnered his club-mates well in the front row and Cooke played his usual outstanding game, harassing Auckland’s backs and making the breaks for his own back-line. Auckland had not been able to utilise Bailey, Denton, Campbell and McCracken to the best advantage because of the close marking of Smith, Walshe and Bond. The Canterbury forwards had tamed five of the Auckland sextet during the first 64 minutes, thus allowing the province to take on and defeat Auckland in its strongest department—the back-line. Only Auckland was not beaten. Throughout, his switching of play and keeping of the ball in motion was an object lesson. He scored a magnificent 70-yard solo try, clutching the ball in one hand in his familiar style. Auckland's other points came from a try by Hammond, a run-away try by McCracken and two goals by Cooke. For Canterbury White and Irvine scored tries and Smith kicked five goals.