RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 194, 18 August 1925, Page 11

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

- GAME AGAINST KING COUNTRY. AT EDEN PARK TO-MORROW. The match at Eden Park to-morrow against King Country should be an interesting game. A number of changes have been made in the Auckland team, with the idea of letting some of the reserves show their paces in good company, and of observing the best combinations in several places, so that seVeral of the Aucklanders will be really playing for their places in later matches. So far little has bepn heard of the King Country side this season, but they have beaten the Auckland B team in past years, and if they have improved they may ,spring a surprise. The teams are :—» Auckland.—Full-back, Goodacre ; threequarters, Lucas, Cooke, Olsen; five-eighths. Carter. Hook: half. - McManus: rover, Keane ; forwards, Finlayson. Gould, Macdonald. Webber. Knight. Righton, Batty. Reserves. Broderich, O'Brien, J. Keary, Sorrnnson. King Country.—Full-back, Jacob ; threequarters, Lee, Carlson, Hobson; fiveeighths. Haddon, Craig; half. Nieholls; rover, Morpeth: forwards. Seiverd. Ebbet, Harty, Baggs, Sibley, Mansfield and Butt. THE WAIKATO TEAM. The Waikato team to play Auckland at Eden Park on Saturday is:— Full-back. Thomas (Morrinsville) ; threequarters, Stoupe (Morrinsville), A. Thompson (Cambridge). Johnston (Morrinsville) ; five-eighths, Kemp (Hamilton). Batchelor (Cambridge) : half. Wright (Matamata) ; rover. Howard (Morrinsville) ; forwards, Wallis (Cambridge). Hopper (Hamilton), D. Bourke (Cambridge), Thomas (Morrinsville), Christie (Hamilton), Courtney (Hamilton), and Charleston (Hamilton). Reserves, Bourke and Latts. CANTERBURY'S DEFEAT. The defeat of Canterbury by the large margin of 35 points to S on Saturday was not the subject for elation locally that it would have been had the Southern rearguard included Dalley. McGregor and Elvey. without whom, It was recognised* the visiting back team was an entirely different proposition from that which met Wellington and Hawke's Bay. All round the play of the visiting backs was entirely disappointing. Carlton was much too slow in getting the ball away at half to give them a good start in attack, and Nixon was unreliable in his handling at full-back, with the result that his side was often called on to defend when a smart full-back would have enabled them to hold an attacking position. Doreen and Robilliard were given absolutely no chances as attacking wing three-quarters, but both of them showed at times that they could be dangerous, and Doreen proved it by the manner of his score. Olliver also gave indications of being _ good attacking Inside back if given opportunities. In the forwards, Canterbury had rather the better of the scrumming and line-out work, but they have not the facility of the local forwards of handling the ball when the game opens out. Keane, Righton, McWilliams, Knight and Palmer time and again swung the game in favour of their side hy their good handling in conjunction with the backs. Scrimshaw was the only forward on the other side who excelled in this style of play, and he played an excellent game throughout. In the tight work. Masters, Clark and Jeffries were prominent. Wright was In the limelight throughout the game, taking quick advantage of openings left by Carlton, to get away handy to the scrum and vary his play by occasionally returning the ball to following forwards when the opposition opened out to tackle the backs. He opened the way nicely for three of the scores. McGregor played asteady .game and Cooke' never failed to snap a chance. Lucas played a. heady game at centre, but at times his taking of his passes was at fault, a rare trouble with him. Matson played a fine, dashing game on the wing, and Olsen did his part well hy bottling up Robilliard with strong tackling. Goodacre's display at full-back was faultless. Comment was made on the ground when he ran up on one occasion to set his backs away on attack, and Dorreen broke through by means of an interception and scored a try, but the fault was rather with Olsen in failing to drop back from the wing to cover the full-back, in which case he would have been able to tackle Doreen. -' ~ 'At Last. For many years Canterbury has been able to hold up to Auckland the fact that no defeat Inflicted by the northern province could equal the two wins scored by Canterbury in 1892 and 1898 when Auckland was beaten 24—0 and 24—3. Those days Auckland had great forwards, but Canterbury was practically the first province "to pick up the advantages of the back jrame and they came to Auckland and taught it to the local players by means of the defeats mentioned. Among the Canterbury players in those days were D. .Garrard, now senior inspector of the Auckland Education Board and J. Forbes who Is Leader of the Oppo : sition in Parliament. Saturday's 4me however, gives Auckland the advanta-e in this respect with a winning margin of °T points. PUKEKOHE COMPETITION. CITY WINS THE SHIELD. -_Mtf !Pnkek o6f fugby Union's senior competition concluded on Saturday. City defeated White Star hy 13 points to nilf and thus won the Garde's Shield for the season. The game was watched hy a large attendance of spectators. \Tjty were easily the better team. WThite Star's tackling being poor, and their fielding- weak. For City! Lucas scored two tries, one of which was converted hy Reynolds, while Fotier notched another try and converted it himself. Two Junior games were also played. Hamilton Fourth Grade beat Pukekohe Juniors (under lOst), by 17 to niL Pukekohe Technical High School team heat the King's College second fifteen hy five points to nil. FRANKLIN UNION. BOMBAY AND OSTEWHEEO EQUAL. The final round of the Franklin Union's Jenior competition was completed on Saturday, when Onewhero heat Tuakau by 16 points to nU, and Bombay won by default from Te Kohanga. Bombay and Onewhero are thus equal at the head of the list, necessitating a play-off for the championship on a date to be arranged. MATCH AT HELENSVILLE. College Rifles played the Kaipara Junior reps., and the result was:—College Rifles 13, Kaipara Junior reps. 3. For the winners Millar, Taylor and Thomas scored a try each, Gregg and Potter converting one each. NEW SOUTH WALES TEAM "FAST AND NIPPY." (By Telegraph—Press Association.) ■\VeLLINGTON, Monday. "Fast and nippy"—these are the words with which Mr. "Harold Baker, manager of the New South Wales Rugby football team, described the team, which arrived from Sydney by the Maunganui to-day. All the players were reported to be fit and well, and the statement that E. N. Greatorex, the Trig forward who toured New Zealand in 1923, was suffering from the affects of an injured thumb was denied. BRAKE SHIELD DEFENDERS. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") WHANGAREL this day. The following team has been chosen to defend the Brake Junior Challenge Shield _l__\st the Bay of Islands Junior Reps. next Saturday at Whangarei: three-quarters, Hamilton. XJtt. TiUy- five-eighths. Bryers, H Paki: __l_ Mackle; McQueen: ____ rowr P. ilorrisey and Coyle; second row Fletcher, Plrihi, Ford; hookew, at JTeutant. Emergencies: Back;*, Haldie, "