LIONS HAVE TOUGH TASK AGAINST COMBINED TODAY
(from Our Rugby Reporter) TIMARU. The Lions can expect another barrage of up and unders, rugged driving in the forwards and complete dedication from both backs and forwards when they play the Combined South Canterbury-Mid-Canterbury-North Otago team at Timaru today.
It will be a testing match for the British Isles because the Combined side impresses as a tough proposition, lacking perhaps real speed and skill in the backs, but with a raw-boned pack. The Lions also have to show that they have assimilated the lesson taught in the Southland game. One would perhaps be rather rash to predict a win to the Combined side. It is hard to see the Lions being caught as unprepared as they were at Southland. The steadiness of Weston and Gibson in the Lions’ back-line should ensure that the play does not become the swirling rucking game that will help the Combined side. Tactics Practised The brief training run held by the Combined side yesterday afternoon showed the tactics the Lions can expect. Farrell, the first fiveeighths, assiduously practised the up-and-under. The other backs, when the ball was passed, ran hard and straight without any attached frills. The forwards, of course, strove away at their driving from the front of the line-out and worked happily and enthusiastically in the rucks. The Combined pack with Its heavy-weight locks, Dench and Crowe, its rangy loose forwards, Vercoe and Hanham, looks a formidable proposition, and should not be
dominated by the Lions pack. Last year this pack gave the Springboks some anxious moments and has the psychological advantage of meeting a team which has its problems. However, it is difficult to see the Combined backs having enough speed to really worry the Lions. McGregor is a neat halfback, Farrell, J. Sampson, and Reilly competent, Teen has great speed and A. Smith is an assured full-back. But overall, they are unlikely to match the Lions backs in anything but spirit. Line-out Work The play of the Welsh captain and No. 8, A. Pask, will be of great importance to the Lions. At training yesterday he looked to be well in charge of his pack and spent a lot of time trying to patch up the holes in the line-outs. With Lamont, Grant and Pask, the Lions have speed in the loose, and in Price and Thomas, two fine jumpers in the line-outs, but it should be the backs who will provide the striking force. If Gibson, who was so highly regarded by the 1963-64 All Blacks, is able to clear the ball quickly, the skill and resourcefulness of Weston, Bresnihan, McFadyean and Hinshelwood should blunt the expected efforts of the Combined pack.
The Lions should win, but not it is thought by much. For most of the team it will be their first match under New Zealand conditions and their training has not indicat-
ed that they have acquired the technique to really run riot against even the smaller unions. British Isles.— D. Rutherford; D. W. McFadyean, M. P. Weston, B. Bresnihan; A. J. M. Hinshelwood, C. M. H. Gibson; R. M. Young; A. I. E. Pask (captain): D. Grant, B. Price: W. D. Thomas, R. A. Lamont, D. L. Powell, F. A. L. Laidlaw, D. Williams. Combined.—A. Smith: B. Teen, K. Reilly (captain), B. Sampson; J. Sampson, A. Farrell; K. McGregor, N. Hanham. R. Vercoe, M. Crowe, R. Dench, M. Foley, N. Moffat, K. Milne, D. Grant.
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Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31086, 15 June 1966, Page 19
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576LIONS HAVE TOUGH TASK AGAINST COMBINED TODAY Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31086, 15 June 1966, Page 19
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