Lions Are Underdogs To Well-Drilled Wellington

Press, Issue 31095, 25 June 1966, Page 17

Lions Are Underdogs To Well-Drilled Wellington

(From I. J. D. HALL) WELLINGTON, June 24. It has been many years since a touring international team unabashedly went into a provincial match as the under-dog. The Lions know this is how they are regarded for today’s game against Wellington at Athletic Park.

r They realise that their record in New Zealand is two wins in XV ednesday matches, and two losses in Saturday games. They realise, too, that they have to beat Wellington or at least put up a spirited showing.

There is an air of qv-iet determination among the tourists, those playing and the “dirt trackers”—the name given to those not playing.

They will meet a welldrilled and powerful provincial pack, and the flutterings of the Universities forwards and the vigour of the Combined team at Timaru are a far cry from a Wellington pack in full cry. The Lions have committed themselves to the running and passing game, but even taking into account their flashes of good Rugby at Christchurch when the forwards drove and the backs showed their speed and skills, it is still difficult to see them matching Wellington.

Great Forwards

Wellington has everything that is needed to beat the Lions: a pack which will drive through the medium of those great forwards, Gray and McEwan and virile loose forwards in Lister, Williams and Hermansson. It is the same’ pack, in fact, that demolished the 1965 Springboks. 1

The backs are perhaps not quite so exciting. Coulter is a sound half, Kember an attractive first five-eighths, Catley and Hill sound centres, and on the wings, Osborne and Myers, have speed. But behind them is Williment, and on his home ground Williment is a match winner with his kicking. What have the Lions to offer against this conglomeration of talent? Gibson’s Service They have a pack led by Pask which has yet to prove it can match a good provincial team, and backs who if they have attacking brilliance can fall down on the elementary moves of Rugby tackling, passing and handling. However, with Gibson at first five-eighths, the Lions backs should function smoothly. Bresnihan is a sturdy tackler, Jones an evasive one, but together they promise some exciting Rugby. On the wings, McFadyean and Bebb have great speed and elusiveness. The Lions forwards will be the key to this match. For 20 minutes at Christchurch they looked like an international

side. They drove and rucked spiritedly, and as a matter of course the backs looked good. Can they do this against Wellington? The pack cannot. The forwards just do not have the basic technique at present to overcome an experienced, conditioned provincial side. But if they were to achieve parity in the forwards, the speed and trickiness of the Lions backs and the ability of the loose forwards, may allow the Lions to outflank the Wellington side. That really is the only way the Lions can win: if they try to mount a frontal assault they will lose.

But if they can keep play moving so that the possibly over-coached Wellington team has to chase across field and would not have quite the same energy to put into the rucks and line-outs, then the game could develop into a fluid running game which must suit the Lions.

Pask’s Role

It is an interesting tactical exercise and the most important man will be the Lions captain, Pask. He must know that his reputation is as much at stake as was M. J. Camp-bell-Lamerton’s in the earlier games.

A good win today will give the Lions the greatest of con-fidence-something they lack at the moment A loss could reduce the tour to a slow and solemn procession of defeats. The teams are:

British Isles.—M. P. Weston; C. W. McFadyean, B. Bresnihan, D. K. Jones, D. I. Bebb, C. M. H. Gibson, R. M. Young; A. E. I. Pask (captain); J. W. Telfer, W. J. Mcßride. W. D. Thomas, D. Grant; C. H. Norris, K. W. Kennedy, D. Williams. Wellington.—M. Willfment; A. J. Osborne, B. L. Hill, P. J. A. Myers: G. H. Catley, G. F. Kember; B. A. Coulter; G. L. Hermansson; G. C. Williams, I. N. Mac Ewan, P. Delaney, T. N. Lister, K. F. Gray (captain), K. N. Grant, J. F. Finn.