RUGBY UNION: Kirwan signs to change codes

RUGBY UNION

BY STEVE BALE

John Kirwan, New Zealand's record try-scorer, yesterday signed to spend his declining years as a rugby league player with the Auckland Warriors, who enter the Australian Winfield Cup against Brisbane Broncos on Friday.

This is the once great but lately discarded wing's response to his omission from the All Blacks, although his pique initially persuaded him to retire altogether after his failure to make the New Zealand team who lost to Australia in August. "In the end, I just thought: `You're going to regret this in 10 years if you don't go now," he said.

Kirwan, now 30, was a sensation during his early international days, ending with 35 tries in 63 Tests over 10 years and a total of more than 200 tries in first-class rugby. In recent years, his speed had tended to diminish as his power grew, prompting him to lose weight which restored some of his speed, but cost much of his power.

The Emerging England team who play Northern Transvaal at Bristol tonight show four late changes, with injury depriving them of Paul Mensah, Richard Butland and David Hinkins, and Graham Childs is unavailable. Gareth Stocks, of Sale, and Paul Holford, of Gloucester, come into the threequarter line, with Guy Gregory and Darren Molloy, of Wasps, at stand-off and prop respectively.

Martin Hynes, the England A prop who joined Northampton from Orrell this season, will miss the rest of Saints' campaign to avoid relegation after breaking and dislocating a thumb.

Terry Kingston and Iain Morrison - injured in last Saturday's internationals - have withdrawn from the Barbarians team to play East Midlands in their annual match at Northampton tonight. Kingston is replaced by Shane Byrne (Blackrock), while Morrison's place is taken by Anthony Foley of Shannon and Ireland.

Bristol's Ed Morrison and Steve Lander, of Liverpool, have been appointed as the Rugby Football Union's nominees to officiate at this summer's World Cup in South Africa. It will be Morrison's second World Cup - he took charge of two pool matches in the 1991 competition.

Lander only made his international debut on Saturday, when he refereed the Five Nations match between Scotland and Wales at Murrayfield.