RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 179, 29 July 1913, Page 8

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

The tussle between C'ny and College Eilles on Saturday was not marked by any special features, and was. on the whole, a rather dull display, due. no doubt, to t!ie ab-eii'-f .jf prominent players on both sides, combined with the vagaries of a greasy ball and n tricky wind. Under the circumstances, a tiptop exhibition could not have been reasonably expected. Their was necessarily a luck of combination, and, in addition, miscalculation in passing and fumbling in lidding—all more or less excusable. City were mostly the agjrreisors. but for the greater part play was confined to neutral tcrntorv. mid ■there was not very much difference between the two iiiteens. It was principally- a forward game. Fake, the hustling forward, came out after being laid up with an injured knee since the beginning of the season, and gave a dashing display. City expect to have their fuH strength available to do battle against Ma.ris.l Brothers next Saturday, and. with sound training ill the meantime, hope to pat up a strong bid for ihc afternoon's honours.

THE SEMI-FINALS. The meeting of Marist Brothers and Ponsonby in the semi-final of the senior championship attracted a good attendance to Alexandra Park on Saturday afternoon, between four and live thousand facing the discomfort of a bitterly cold, cheerless afternoon in order to witness the game. The conditions were all against a spectacular game, the strong sou-west wind and heavy squalls combining to make the ball greasy and flighty and the ground heavy. Notwithstanding these disadvantages, the game ■o-as a keenly-contested one. both sides plavins hard from start to finish. There ■were no "fireworks." but nevertheless it w-as a good display of Rugby, and interest was mainta-iced right up to the ciose. The victory of Maxist Brothers leaves the championship in a particularly interesting position, for either Ponsonby, Marist Brothers, or University can win. University and Ponsonby meet next Saturday! while Marist brothers play City. Wins for University and Marist Brothers would give the latter the championship, bur if Ponsonby and Marist Brothers both win they will b? level at the top of the list. On the other hand, victories to University and City would give the students the honour, while there 7s always the question of drawn game? to be taken into consideration, so that the issue is decidedly open, and the final games on Saturday "should attract a record attendance. PONSfIXBYS FIRST DEFEAT. When the teams lined out on Satura.\v Ponsonbv were without their captain. fleo. Setlars. while Duff was also absent, the vacancies being filled by Hornibrooke and Suttou. a promoted junior. They, however, had the services of the hurl 7 "funny." Carroll, the caprain, was ont of "the Marist Brothers team, whirh evened things up some--ivha,. Witu '-lie wind against them in The first quarter. Ponsonby started off at a "reat V>at. and ir, was some time brforcthe Brothers settled down. Once or twin- tin- blue find blacks were within p.u sic of scoring, ami they hail hard luck in nut getting points. When they got fairly iroinsr. the "Tykes" made the pare very solid' a;id soon rattled up sue point*, while once or twice snores, were only lost by the narrowest margin. When thrir turn carae with the wind PonsoTil.v did noc make the most use of ii. but the Brothers rang on three points afttT a :ine bit ot work by -I. O'Brien. Pon#onby"s only tally being a goal by J. O'Leary—a "brilliant effort. In the third quarter the "Tykes' , attacked for tin- irrfater P iirt " f tne ti!IIP - antl were unlucky not to have registered more poim.-. the last quarter being entered nn with the half-time score unaltered. The linal twenty minutes saw Ponsouby making desperate efforts to equalise, but Though they had all the best of it. the only points ii><u came their way were from another beautiful kirk by O'Leary, and wben the bell rang thi-y were three points down, and the lirsi defent of the ttv.scn v.a- against them.

The forwards were evenly matched, and it was a desperate struggle between them. Ponsooby. if anything, got th« ball oftener. but the "Tyke" forwards broke away quickly, and. aided by the weakness of Suttun (the Ponsonby wntre-balfl, Bator (at five-eighths), and Dance (at full-back). |had pienty of chances in attack. It must have been beartbreakins to the Ponsonby vanguard to see their efforts wasted in ihv- manner they were. Time after time ihey would heel, and the Ponsonby backs jet into position for attack, when i Sirtton or Bater would it, and Uance would be the-only defender, and ~iw was hardly equal to the occasion. 3t is a -wonder Ponsonby did not adopt Marist Brothers" tactics and make the. same use of Murray as the "Tykes" did of I. -1. O'Brien. With the wind the latter played up eentre-threequarter. but when defence was required he dropped back to full, and Little went up. Had Hurray been used the same way the Ponsonby defence would have been much sounder. The Brothers' forwards did a lot of fine work, showing plenty of pacej in the open, and keeping close to the j ball. They gave their backs any amount j of chances, and they made the most use! of them. The two O'Briens were at the t<<p of their form and played magnificently, no serious mistake being debited against either. -I. O'Brien was the best back on the jfround. his defensive work being especially good. The others were better than usual, and it was this that pave Mnrist Brothers the victory. The Ponsonby rear division lacked combination, which was accounted for by the weakness close in to the serum. O'Leary. Murray, and McGregor did some fine lone-handed work, but the last-named pair showed a decided inclination to get out of their places. McGregor lost an tasy try by failing to take cleanly at tbe" end of "the best passing run of the li-iv. nnd though, he tried to recover hiiiiself with v hurdling acr i; was tuo late.

Whi'H 1,11 iL.' subject of LurJlinu;. it i≤ c i_':'':ii pity liiat it has uuue more to be points! out to McGregor the dangerous' nu'-.irc if thi-> pastime. Poor Armit and others have jj;ii<J the penalty, so why temp; mc prim scythc-fKiarer* Of lln , inrlividua! players. J. W. Liitle. ti-hi. a'tcriiatfil lifiweeu full-back and cen'r.- tliri'P-t|i!ariiT. «"as much a.bovp his i:-:.i! •'•mi. .»!ii| ;'"■■ -tniH remark applies (ll li.it!; ( ;'i;<l Shoehan. As men- !;,.,»,: iib""'.' -I. OT>rion was tli<» best b .,.,l ~n ;;,.■ and hi* brother. B. C>*l-i i< n. was iiiuvo.-; a,s good. Thp lattpr Tva> a Pry nippy. «nri the opening ht - macic for brother Jack to score was a Bice bit of play?

McDonald's showing was the best he has given this season, and Olsen, after starting badly, got through a lot of work in good style.

In front. Harris, on the wing, was not so prominent as usual, being .somewhat overshadowed by Hall. The forwards, as a pack, wire gt>od, the most prominent being Dennehy. Downing, and Barrett.

Except for the individual efforts of O'Leary. Murray, and McGregor, the work of the Ponsonby backs was, as a whole, a long way below expectations, and the v nrst the" blue and blacks have given on No. 1 ground this season.

Hall, on the wing, was a busy man throughout, and kept things moving. The pack worked bard, and it was not their fanlt that the honours did not go their way.