RUGBY FOOTBALL

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 116, 17 May 1924, Page 21

RUGBY FOOTBALL

SECONDARY SCHOOLS. Jbe curtain-raisers to the two big Rugby matches ot" hist week-end were oonlesl* between secondary school rep. teams and the Fleet and Auckland junior fifteen*. In neither game did the school boys show up as well as last year, (but early season form may be held partly responsible for this. The came with the (Squadron team on (Saturday was a very even contest, though the schools won \,y 14 t D -,;]. The local pack was always under dillicultics due to the fact that the game was played under old rules and the forwards were allowed to follow the ball through. The midshipmen, too. had an advantage in weight. It was the backs that, pave the schools the victory, and .■Saturday's backs sliould prove nn attractive lot to watch later on in the season. -Mathcson, at full-back, did not have very much work to do. but what he did stamped him as the best defensive player of the side. Neither of the wings were exceptionally good, though Hutchinson's try was a nice effort made possible by an opening from Jen-kin. At centre, however. MaeMillan played a sterling game, scoring two splendid tries by swerving runs. The fire-eighths, Moore and ITorsley. though individually pood, did not combine too well. Ewen at rover played well and was a constant menace to the Navy halves. The forwards, though 'beaten iv the tight, played well in (he loose. MacMonagle and McCarthy bo''ig conspicuous for good following up. The teim underwent several changes for Monday when a game was played against a 'Varsity and Training College fifteen. The schools' backs were not as good as on Saturday, possibly because they were up against a stronger combination. Butler, who played full-back, did a lot of hard work, aud thovi.h he lacks the iinesse of Matheson, yet lie played n good game. The last-named at centre three-quarter was not a success. His defensive play and kicking were excellent, but he had a centre's greatest fault, running across field. Nor was MacMillnn comfortable in the position of outside five-eighths. He kept the ball too long and tried to do too much cutting in. Meredith, behind the scrum, played a sound frame. Tn the forwards Merarthv and MacMonarrle were nqrain conspicuous, while Massey and Sheen also did good work. Clarke used his weight, to advantage when he scored a good try. The game was even but the Juniors' victory by 11 to 8 was a deserved one. It is interesting to note that Dare, the Training College skipper, .cored all his side's points.

DON. WRIGHT.

Don, Wright, the Grammar School Old Boys and Auckland representative h a 1 fback, is a serious aspirant for the position behind the scrum in the All Black team. "Don" would stop a steam roller, but apart from his gameness he has fed the Grammar and Auckland ' backs wUb such machine-like precision, that lie is largely instrumental in bringing about the combination which the Auckland backs have perfected for the past couple of most versatile and has represented Auc of Kiernan.

seasons. He is the game half-back who :kland since the days

The selection of the probable All Black team to go to England forms the basis of a competition by Wellington "Free Lance." The names of those who have received the most votes so far are as follow:— Backs: Sinclair, Lucas, McLean, H. E- Nicholls, Steel, Morgan, R. Stewart, and Paewai. Forwards: Bellis, Pringle, Brownlie, McMeeking, Cupples, -White, and Peterson. As Peterson is playing the League game he is not eligible. The Maori backs in the Hawke's Bay team did not enhance their reputations generally with the Auckland followers of the game by their showing last Saturday. Mill at half-back showed out in flashes, but appears to be a one-dash player who rarely shows up again in follow-up work once he has set his backs going, and is almost exclusively a_ attacking player. Despite the fact that he was heckled and hustled by M. Brownlie and Gemmell as Mill never was at any stage of the game, Don Wright, the Auckland half, was not overshadowed by the Hawke's Bay man in the matter of getting his backs away, was infinitely his superior as a stopper, and showed him points in follow-up attack and knowledge of team play. Mill was 'ried in the Maori match as a fiveeighth, and again made a brilliant run or two, but spoilt their effect by mistiming his passes. Nepia as a five-eighth showed himself a strong runner with n good cut-in, but like both Mill and Paewai, failed to time his passes so as to get his supports into swing. They nil showed a lack of knowledge of how to work in with the other players to'keep the attack swinging. When played at full-back in the Maori match Nepia made a much better impression, for he has fine hands, is a strong runner and kicker, and a fair j amount of pace. Wright. C. Badeley. Cooke and Kirwan, would always work up a combination that would beat the Bay backs.! given equal opportunity. Barclay had j little opportunity of showing his best j on account of the failure of Paewai and i N'epia, but there were occasions when . he showed some grasp of the team game, and he has pace and nippiness. Grcnside has pace and determination, but little knowledge of return passing. With coachinghe should be a fine winger. The -bleld holders (Hawke's Bay) hope to gef at least nine men awny with the All Blacks, remarks a critic in a ; Wanganui paper, but he does not give his authority for the statement. A caustic comment by a Maori bar- j raeker during the Ratana-Kaicrau game recently was more forcible than polite, and calling the referee "A plurry white scoundrel"" may possibly be misunder- j •food if a man in blue were around.

A ie Badeley, of Grammar Old J3ovs, a member of the 1921 All Blacks team that visited Australia, and a candidate lor this year's selection, is not likely to play football again in consequence of ! the severe concussion lie received in the [trial match. About half a dozen years J ago he sullered a bad concussion when j playing for Auckland at Palmerston j North, and since then lias been accusjtomed to wear headgear wheu playing, which gave rise to a tale that ho'was I playing "with a silver plate in his head." j'lhat, however, was an entirely false i statement. lie wore the headgear iv I deference to the anxiety of his people after his first accident; and although he I has now practically recovered from Sat- | urday's injury, family feeling on the subject will keep him in future merely a I spectator at football. L. McLean, the Auckland forward, who I had to retire with an injured knee from (the trial match on Saturday, is reported las a minor casualty. The medical report lis that the injury is not one of those "football knees" which crock a player permanently so far as the game is conjeerned. While on this point it may be j mentioned that Ces. Badeley, who* had jbeen troubled with a knee at recurrent I intervals for several years, had an operation performed on the joint during the j off season, and he has not since been I troubled by it when playing football. He had to come oIT the field a fortnight j ago as the result of a knock over the I kidneys, but his once weak knee has ! stood the test of some very hard games, including the All Blacks trial.