AUCKLAND'S DEFEAT.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 222, 18 September 1919, Page 8

AUCKLAND'S DEFEAT.

*A WRETCHED DISPIAY. OUTCLASSED AT THE GAME. WELLINGTON'S BRILLIANT BACK WORK. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON, Wednesday. A few Auckland apologists found reason for to-day's tragic display of the Northern representatives in Saturday's strenuous battle against Taranaki. A few others | declared resignedly it was Auckland s day orr. but all agreed that seldom has a blue I and white team made such n wretched showing. Almost in every department ot the game they wen- outclassed, and but at i all too rare "intervals was there shown a. Hash of that forward dribbling rush work for which the Auckland of old was famous In the Rugby field. In the many scrums the local men were generally nippier, with a greater tendency also, it must be said, to get offside and round the pack out of their turn, but their tactics succeeded quite suflicientlv often to make them worth while from ft player's point of view. The hooking was about even In quality, but whereas; Auckland got the ball away clumsily when, their turn arrived to win it clear, the Wcl-i lington man hit it ont to his support like a Hash, and it was then pretty to watch the back line pass along the leather and start , oceans of trouble for the slower Northerners. Oficc the ball reached Roberts anything was likclv to happen on the day s showing, and his surpassingly quick and ; brainy work established him the darling ot the sideline early in the game, while he was worthily supported by his fellow backs , who played together like a piece ot well regulated clockwork. I Had the visiting forwards fumbled less and been able to keep the bull more at I their feet the opportunities for open play by the local bark division would to ft large extent have been smothered, but they were kept too busy thinking most of the time to be a really dangerous i-ombinatlon to their cleverer ami trickier opponents, who also had the pare iv every department. Auckland's full-back (Heath), who played a sound, good game, stopped lots of trouble, but his handicap ou several occasions was lack of pace. Woolley and Grierson also made a very sterling showing under crowded difficulties, but as a bunch the Auckland back line gave a very third-rate display compared with the ma"chlne-llke sureness aud heady work of their opponents. One of the gravest faults of the visiting, backs «ben they secured the ball was the persistent tendency to short passing when the ta-c-klers were right among them, and their inability to take It under such disadvantage. Time after time the black jerseys either Intercepted and dashed for Auckland's goal or bustled the Auckluuders to wild and futile throwing. Taken altogether, it Is seldom that a hall has been so badly mishandled generally by an Auckland rep. team. In giving full credit to Wellington for their notable win this lamentable anil hard to understand fact, from an Auckland viewpoint, has to be considered. though any Impartial critic will concede that it would have taken a daddy of a team to beat the Welliugloulnns on the 1 afternoon's showing. It should be rememI tiered also that, large as the score Is. it lnI eludes only one converted try, goal-kicking j being the 'only really weak spot in Welliug- ! ton's display, and this despite the fact that for each half they were favoured by a sMght but fairly steady hreeze, which during the spell Interval completely veered from north to south.

In the early stages of the same it appeared as though both teams were neivr.us. for a go<«l deal of fumbling spoilt chances on either side, but, though Auckland got away first, the Wellington men quickly recovered their poise, aud settled down to make mischief for the shield hunters. Koberts was on tile job quickly, and, with Algar, was responsible for first score, after half a dozen visitors were left looking slllv as a result of some clever! feinting. This early taste of Wellington's] trlcklncss in the back line seemed to have a demoralising elTeet on the visitors, who thereafter repeatedly showed hesitation in tackling, clearly expecting feint tactics. Wellington's advantage from tills failure to dive for the man Instead of waiting for him to feint was remarkable, and resulted directly in at least two of their half-dozen tries. Auckland's solitary try was made well along in the second spell, after two or three promising attacks hud broken up light on Wellington's line. Auckland then suffered a narrow escape from another or Wellington's many illustrations of brilliant counter attacking work, aud Burns, who had replaced Gasparich, almost threw points to the local men by running behind bis own goal and sending a faulty kick towards the line and at almost right angles. A Wellington player racing for the ball Just missed catching it. but tipped it over the deail line, and from the tlirow In Auckland I made an unexpected break through. The ball was hustled to half-way, and then weutl to the backs, who. dodging round their own forwards, raced for the line, Grlerson scoring In a nice position after reeelvlng a pass from Thomas. Tbe try was rather a lu-cky one, us Thomas lost the ball before getting rid of it, but recovered possession just In the nick of time. Heath's attempt to convert was poor. There was a deckled iuclina-. tlon to rough play on several occasions in the second spell, as is indicated by the fact that two Wellington men and one Aueklandcr had to retire owing to injuries, while at one period the game was stopped to allow of no fewer than four players to receive temporary aid for their hurts.