Paul Truscott retires from league

Press, 6 February 1986, Page 30

Paul Truscott retires from league

By

JOHN COFFEY

Paul Truscott, one of the most experienced representative rugby league forwards in New Zealand, has retired from all firstclass football to concentrate on coaching his Linwood club’s premier grade team. An outstanding performer at second-row, hooker and prop for Canterbury and South Island, Truscott also intends to restrict his club appearances to when

Linwood is weakened by representative calls. “I decided at the end of last season that I would finish up,” said Truscott yesterday. Embarking on a coaching career served to firm Truscott’s resolve — “it is not possible to do both jobs properly” — in spite of some pressure to change his mind. Although he was overseas for the best part of two seasons, Truscott made 30 appearances for Canterbury from 1978 and another 16 in South

Island’s colours from 1979. Truscott has good reason to remember his final first-class season with pride. In one week last May he assisted South Island to draw with Auckland at Greymouth, and was a try-scorer when Canterbury retained the Rugby League Cup, 22-22, against Auckland and then beat the British club, St Helens, 30-24. He alternated between second-row and prop in thosg matches. But an-

other of his, and South Island’s, finest football hours was at hooker in the 12-11 upset of the 1980 Australians. Truscott humbled the Kangaroo test hooker, John Lang, 10-3 in the scrums, on that memorable night at the Show Grounds. It was a big surprise that Truscott was riot chosen for the 1980 New Zealand team which toured Britain and France. His versatility, competitiveness and skills would have been invalu-

able to the Kiwis. Truscott, aged 31, must also have merited consideration for the 1985 Kiwi tour, though the national selectors’ policy of looking favourably on younger forwards would have counted against him. There is no doubt that Truscott could have filled a vital forward role for Canterbury over the next winter or two. Instead, he will be imparting his experience to assist the club which he has served at premier level since 1974.