Rugby: Thomson will captain Auks in NPC battle

By Wynne Gray

Loosehead prop Paul Thomson will captain Auckland in this season's NPC.

Thomson left yesterday with the national Maori side for their short trip to Fiji, but before he left he was told by Auckland coach Wayne Pivac about his new role.

"We want to have a captain right through the NPC season and while we would be delighted if Paul got away with the All Blacks for the World Cup, at this stage that does not appear likely," Pivac said.

"He is an automatic selection for Auckland, has the respect of the rest of the squad, has a good understanding of the game and how we want to play it and we believe has a big future in the game."

Pivac and his assistant, Grant Fox, were looking for a new skipper to take Auckland through the next few years. The NPC side have used Robin Brooke, Michael Jones, Craig Dowd and Mark Carter as skippers in the past and Thomson was probably in a three-way battle with Charles Reichelmann and Xavier Rush for the job this year.

Thomson will not be back to lead the team against neighbours North Harbour in a trial game at Eden Park next Tuesday, but he and fellow New Zealand Maori tourist Caleb Ralph will travel with the squad for their second trial game, on August 7 against Canterbury at Blenheim.

All Black squad members Craig Dowd, Robin Brooke, Carlos Spencer and Andrew Blowers are not available for the two trial games, several players are away with the New Zealand Colts and regular fullback Adrian Cashmore is out for another month after knee cartilage surgery.

Harbour will be without five New Zealand Maori players - Slade McFarland, Troy Flavell, Ron Cribb, Glen Osborne and Karl Te Nana - while former All Black lock Ian Jones will be rested from the trial and Marc Ellis still has several more weeks of recuperation on his patella tendon injury.

The Harbour side will be chosen after training tonight, while Auckland have named a squad, with a team to be finalised at the weekend.

Interesting new names for Auckland are Malili Muliana, a fullback with the NZ under-19 side and a Kelston Boys' High player last season, Iliesa Tanivula, who has returned from Super 12 action with the ACT Brumbies, prop Scott Palmer and lock Jason Chandler, who are back after stints in France.

Another prop, Kalau Fukofuka, travelled with the Auckland Development team to Argentina several seasons ago but has been injured and is getting back into top rugby only this year.

Centre Eroni Clarke played his first full club game for Suburbs at the weekend and it is hoped he will start next week's trial.