RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 224, 20 September 1924, Page 21

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. Next Saturday (September 27) a eeriea of annual matches between the King's College and Auckland Grammar School old boys will be inaugurated in a game which will probably be played at the Showground. It was intended to make the occasion a real college day, j with a preliminary match between the j present school boy teams, but accident i and indisposition among the King's College players has left them without a full team. There is very keen interest in the Old Boys' game, however, for the King's College fifteen will include a number of interprovincial players who are not ordinarily with the team which plays in club competitions. A good curtain raiser will be provided by the third grade semi-final between Grammar and diarists. Commenting on the Auckland-Wel-ling-ton match, the "Evening Post" -. ays: —."The Auckland forwards carried off the iSonours, but much credit for the success, K-hich should have been by a far bigger margin than one point, is due to" the niptain (K. Ifwersen), who saw the berf. way to success and used it. Ifwersea is, indeed, a brainy player. As a goal-iicker he has lost little of his former greatness. The goal which he kicked from near the touch-line and not far from the twenty-five yards mark was cadence enough. "This is the best forward team that Auckland has put in the field this season," remarked a keen Auckland supporter to the writer prior to the match. "Tlie forwards are better than those who went to Hawke's Bay. ' They are all workers; there are no vampers." The opinion was supported by their play, in which they not only showed strength and energy, but also displayed dash. They packed more solidly than Wellington, and kept a. better control of the ball. In the good play of the backs individually Goodacre, Loft (who came on as an emergency), McManus, Kirwin, and Ifwersen were, perhaps, the leading lights in the visiting team. Goodacre v.as a sound full-back; Loft a dashy ■nv.ng-three-quarter, Kirwan a solid, reliable centre or wing-three-quarter, and McfManus a half-back who indicated that he is a good second to Wrights A rearrangement of the back division in the second spell was advantageous. For Wellington Warwick filled the half-back position creditably. Corner was solid, Johnson was not a/t his best, McKay was patchy, Lang was off bis game, though handicapped in being crowded too much, Bedell was good on defence, and Walters was sound as full-back, clearing trouble for Wellington on many occasions in the second spell. From the Auckland forwards it would be difficult to pick' out any for special mention, though Palmer and McLean (a brother of the ex-All Black) often attracted notice for good work. Pringle wa3 the best of the Wellington forwards, and Moffitt at times caught the eye as principal in starting off an advance. The others went well against a more solid pack, though one or two at times were inclined to ease up. The fact that the last try in the shield match Between 'Auckland and Hawke's Bay was scored several minutes after, time had actually expired draws attention to the peculiar effect of the ruling that the ball must be dead before' the bell is rung. Theoretically it is possible for the game to be prolonged to any length of time if the ball remains in play. In the Hawke's Bay game Auckland were attacking in their opponents' twenty-five when the timekeeper announced that time was up, but he (rightly, according to the rule) waited until the ball went out. Auckland continued their attack for a minute or two, and then a mistake let Blake away, and he took the game right to Auckland's line, and a try resulted. In this case it made no difference to the win, for Hawke's Bay had a commanding lead. In past seasons it was the custom in Auckland to ring the bell when time had expired, and the referee would rerminate the game as soon as the ball went dead. The objection to this practice was that the leading side on hearing the bell used every endeavour to put the ball dead. However the present rule is still open to objecion \ and the fairest way would be to terminate the game immediately on the expiration of time, provided, of course, a player was not in the act of taking a penalty or a try had just been scored and the kick not taken. j Hawke's Bay critics refute the sug- | -gestion made in these columns that their forwards at times assisted the ball out of the scrum with their hands. Perhaps they .will recall one instance which happened right under their eyes in front of the main stand. Referee CNeil, who announces his decisions in somewhat the same manner at "Bill" j Meredith, penalised Hawke'e Bay in a j set scrum, and in a voice audible" at the Press stand commanded the local side' to play the ball with the boot not the hand. Karl Ifwersen's value to the Auckland team as a goal-kicker may be gauged from the fact that in all rep. matches [ this season he has. kicked 22 goal 3, j being thus responsible for putting on j 5G points. In the Wairarapa, Wellington and Taranaki matchee his kicking ! was a strong factor in giving Auckland | the win. i PRIMARY SCHOOLS NOTES. The primary schools representative | game between" Auckland and Franklin, |. played at Eden Park last Saturday, j was a rather disappointing exhibition j of Rugby. The local boys had all the j better of the first spell, but in the i second the Franklin fifteen combined | well and continually pressed their opponents, but lost countless chances by j too much kicking. The same thing in a smaller degree applied to the locals. < The Auckland forwards were rather weak, and at times showed themselves i j absolutely averse to following up. Mc- I • Pherson, on the wing, for Auckland, is ! \ a boy of great promise; he is fast, and r runs with great determination. Daisly, ' inside him, played very well, and Minchan, on the other wing, was also sound. The inside backs were only fair. The ■, forwards were a mediocre lot. but ' Hassan played a splendid game. Of the ' visitors. Carpenter made a fine full- 1 back, while Dix played well until he had < to retire through injuries. iCewish. at 1 rover, played a great game, while 1 T-aVaTnan and Denniston were quite l good. ji