BRISBANE Easts coach, John Lang urged administrators not to make a sacrificial lamb of Australian coach, Arthur Beetson following the shock 19-12 loss to New Zealand at Lang Park.
Lang, a former Test hooker, said credit had to be given to the Kiwis under new coach, Graham Lowe, but the pressure would be on Beetson given the Kangaroos had been undefeated on their tour of Britain and France the previous year under Frank Stanton.
Stanton had stepped down for personal reasons and Beetson started his reign as national coach with a 16-4 win over the Kiwis at Auckland’s Carlaw Park.
Lang said the British and French sides of ’82 would not have held a candle to the ’83 Kiwis and a loss was never out of the question.
“New Zealand (under coach, Cec Mountford) were unlucky to lose at Lang Park last year (1982) and unlucky to lose this year’s First Test in Auckland, so they easily could have won three of the past four Trans-Tasman Tests,” Lang wrote in his column in ‘The Courier-Mail’.
Lang’s protestations did no good, with Beetson dumped and Stanton returned for the 1984 home series against Britain.
Meanwhile in a 1983 KB Cup quarter final, future Australian coach, Tim Sheens made an appearance off the bench for NSW Country in their 54-14 loss to Combined Brisbane at Leichhardt Oval.
Mitch Brennan scored three tries for Brisbane and Wayne Lindenberg two, while centre, Gene Miles was named man of the match.
Sheens played for Campbelltown City at the end of his Sydney career with Penrith. The win meant Brisbane would play Manly in the semi-finals at Lang Park.
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