Papanui still force in rugby league

Press, 19 April 1979, Page 32

Papanui still force in rugby league

By

JOHN COFFEY

| Papanui might no longer I enjoy the overwhelming j favouritism for Canterbury i rugby league honours that it has in recent years, but it proved at the Show Grounds last evening that it still has plenty of resilience. After trailing by seven points at the end of the opening quarter, Papanui responded in characteristic fashion to begin its premiership campaign with a 25-12 victory over Sydenham. There was much to admire ,in the manner that the I young backs grasped the i scoring opportunities which | placed Papanui ahead, 10-7, before the interval, and then helped their more exI perienced forwards to dominate proceedings over the final 40min. David Anderson, Papanui’s stand-off half, alertly placed himself in a gap and reaped full capital of a neat reverse pass from his centre, Jim Stokes, to make the initial inroads into Sydenham’s advantage. The other centre, Mike Williams, contributed tries immediately before and after the break to tip the balance in what, until then, had been an evenly contested encounter. But in general the match was disappointing. It did not

contain the tension or the standard of football expected .from the clubs which contested a championship grand final seven months earlier. Stoppages were frequent and the lack of fluent combinations could only partly be attributed to the earliness of the club season. Inevitably, the direction of Rod Walker had a major influence on the outcome. He was responsible for 13. of Papanui’s points, had his sturdy second-row forward, John Cole, running freely from his wide passes, anil kept the Papanui defence up to its work. More was expected from the Sydenham back-line. The halves, Bob Grant and Tony Bergman, were not able to clear possession fast enough to provide Mark Vincent and Blair Corkran with the chances that they deserved. Bergman, however, produced some bewildering foot-Work in a crowded situation to claim his try. If Mike Williams proved that he has the basic ability and flair to make his mark in the premier grade, then his brother, Kevin, showed that he is still an integral part of Papanui’s plan of attack. Ken Tait, who, like Kevin Williams, was making his first competitive appearance for the year, was his

usual busy self at scrumhalf. Halswell lapsed in the second and third quarters of the curtain-raiser against Addington and suffered a 247 defeat .in its premier debut. The result was almost a carbon copy of the meeting between the same clubs in the qualifying series. The Addington performance was one of fluctuations. Handling and passing errors cost it dearly at times, yet there were periods when, under the guidance of Bob Jarvis, the midfield backs, Rick Odering and Barry Brown, and the full-back, Bruce Gardiner, were quite outstanding. Results. —

Papanui 25 (M. Williams two, B. Nicholson, D. Anderson, R. S. Walker tries; Walker five goals) beat Sydenham 12 (T. ■ Bergman, ,T. Mene tries; K. Siave two, B. Corkran goals). Half-time: Papanui, 10-7. Scrums: Sydenham, 14-11. Penalties: Sydenham, 11-10. Referee: P. G. Skerten.

Addington 24 (R. H. Odering two, M. Lowe, K. R. Wikatene tries; P. Peters six goals) beat Halswell 7 (M. Yule try, two goals). Halftime: 11-4. Scrums: Addington, 12-9. Penalties: HasIwell. 18-17. Referee: W. J. Menzies.