Rugby: Unfashionable lock shows way

By WYNNE GRAY

Pen portraits in the Ranfurly Shield match programme last week had information on every North Harbour player except Matt Lord.

Perhaps he was fortunate - the programme listed a mysterious Ben Johnson in the Harbour reserves.

By the end of their unsuccessful visit to Hamilton, the challengers looked like a team in need of some chemical assistance. Apart from Walter Little and Rua Tipkoi in the backs, their rugby had been mediocre.

The pack had disappointed, though new lock Lord never hit the stop button.

It has been like that for much of this season for the rookie first-division player. He started in a tussle with others such as Jeff Fahrensohn and Philip Weedon to partner captain and All Black lock Troy Flavell, while there had also been attempts to secure Robin Brooke.

In the end the unlikely regular lock became Lord. Unlikely is perhaps a bit tough - unfashionable may be a better description.

Lord does not qualify in the rock star category such as Wellington's Jonah Lomu, Christian Cullen and Tana Umaga do against Harbour at Albany today.

The 22-year-old Lord labours every day for civil engineering firm Gibbons Contractors before hitting several practices and a game every week. He represents rugby as it used to be, just as his tousled haircut is a reminder of other rugged characters such as Andy Earl or Norm Maxwell.

No nonsense, work hard, play hard, do the business.

Scout around and you discover the reserved young man is about 104kg and 1.95m, not a huge frame for a lock but full of ticker and hard work - all the characteristsics Harbour will need today if they are to repel Wellington.

It is an NPC match Harbour are calling their quarter-final. Defeat, and the top four head over the horizon a little more.

Harbour assistant-coach Allan Pollock would offer the same hope about some forwards who went missing last week against Waikato.

After secondary schooling in Wellington, the King Country-raised Lord went to work for an uncle in Te Aroha and played for Thames Valley. But he wanted more and joined the Takapuna club in North Harbour where he learned from stalwarts such as Clayton Moors, about the merits of serious toil.

It was the same at work. The other day he asked his boss and Harbour president Colin Gibbons when he could leave to get to a practice at 3.30 pm. "When you get all that scoria in the back of the retaining wall," was the reply.

Lord got stuck in and was at training by 3 pm. It is that sort of attitude Harbour will search for today.

North Harbour: Silao Leaega, Karl Te Nana, Rua Tipoki, Walter Little, Eric Rush, Willie Walker, Mark Robinson, Ron Cribb, Craig Newby, Blair Urlich, Matt Lord, Troy Flavell (c), Rod Moore, Slade McFarland, Tony Coughlan. Res: Aisea Tuilevu, Scott Adams, John Beckett, Phil Weedon, Eddie Rawiri, Tony Woodcock/ Dean Thompson, Ace Tiatia.

Wellington: Christian Cullen, Tana Umaga, Alama Ieremia, Jonah Lomu, Jason O'Halloran, David Holwell, James King, Jerry Collins, Kupu Vanisi
Dion Waller, Inoke Afeaki/Milton Ngauamo, Semo Sititi, Mike Edwards, Norm Hewitt (c) Kevin Yates. Res: Brad Fleming, Paul Steinmetz, Riki Flutey, Rodney So'oialo, Ngauamo or Opeta Palepoi, Shane Carter, Morne van der Merwe.