S.I. Rugby League success

Press, 1 March 1982, Page 34

S.I. Rugby League success

’ Greymouth reporter The South Island rugby league 13 beat an Invitation 13 by 24 points to 18 at Wingham Park, Greymouth, yesterday afternoon, but the high humidity sapped the strength of many of the i players. It could be regarded as a satisfactory work-out to- . wards the selection, of the > South Island squad to com- • pete in the KB (formerly I Tooth) Cup series in Aus- ; tralia. No reputations were , made, and none completely j lost. | The South Island team had

run up an eight-nil lead at the end of the first quarter, and was leading 13-3 at halftime, but the Invitation team was on the receiving end of a “blister" from one of the South Island selectors, Mr Gary Clarke, at the interval. It certainly worked an improvement. The Invitation side lifted its game, each player tightening up on his mark, and the backs given a better chance to show what they could do, so much so that the South Island side was back-pedalling for almost the whole of the quarter, and surrendered the lead

without adding to its score at 13-18. However, that was as far as the Invitation side could get. The young Canterbury winger. Mike Williams, intercepted soon after the start of the last quarter and his centre, Bernard Green — undoubtedly the fastest man “of the field yesterday — was away for a try, which began to turn the tide. Williams had a particularly enterprising game, as did Green and David Perkins. Paul Truscott, the South hooker, had a busy time, but

on the day would have had to bow to the better all-round play of his opposite, John Griffen, while the Invitation team's loose forward, Mike Smith, was constantly on the burst, creating big ’gaps in the South defence. The match was watched by a large crowd. South Island XIII: 24 (M. Williams 2, B. Green 2, W. Wallace, G. Smith, tries, D. Perkins three conversions). Invitation XIII; 18 (R. Dalzell. D. Adams. P. McCone, K. Calder, tries. L. Hudson three conversions.)