Curtain falling on Cantab stalwart
Filed Under Kitchen Curtain | Posted on August 20, 2008
The days in a Canterbury jersey for former All Blacks prop Campbell Johnstone are numbered but the veteran is determined to see the red-and-blacks stay on the winning trail before he leaves to play for Biarritz.
Johnstone, Canterbury’s most capped player in the 2008 squad with 66 appearances, has been given an early release by the New Zealand and Canterbury unions and will head for France the day after Canterbury’s clash with North Harbour on September 6.
But his immediate focus is on keeping Canterbury prominently placed in the Air New Zealand Cup and to do that Taranaki must be dispatched at New Plymouth’s Bull Ring on Saturday night, an assignment he admits is never easy.
Johnstone recalls being part of a Canterbury team stacked with All Blacks which bowed to the amber-and-blacks at New Plymouth four years ago.
“They’re extremely tough to beat up there,” Johnstone said. “They’ve just come off away losses to Auckland in their Shield match and against Tasman so they will be looking to make amends on their home track and what better way for them than to knock us over.
“Jason Eaton is a top international lock and you’ve got one of the better looseheads around in Tony Penn, who has been about for ages, and Scotty Waldrom goes all day in the loose.”
Johnstone said after their disappointing first up loss to Manawatu, Canterbury had improved with each outing, with Otago being beaten in Dunedin and Auckland even more decisively.
He believes Canterbury has good depth in its propping numbers with Wyatt Crockett at the helm alongside the Franks brothers, Ben and Owen, and Peter Borlase.
Crusaders openside flanker George Whitelock will make his first run-on appearance for the province with Hayden Hopgood going to the reserves and Borlase coming into the reserves for Owen Franks.
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