RUGBY FOOTBALL

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 233, 2 October 1925, Page 10

RUGBY FOOTBALL

POLLARD CUP SEMI-FINAL. The Pollard Cup competition, which ha* been suspended for three weeks on account of the Test match and the Hawke's Bay nnd Wellington rep. games, will be resumed to-morrow afternoon, when the semifinal between College Rifles and Grammar Old Ilovs will be played .as a curtainraiser to the Auckland-Taranaki representative match. Teams: — GRAMMAR OLD BOYS. Seniors.—B. Badeley. Comes. Gardiner. Monteeth, Ifwersen. Singleton t'2>. I'irritt, R. McLean, Clark, Curutuing, Arnold, Jenkin. C, Badeley. Potter, Chapman, McCarthy, Watkih, Whelan. COPPEGE RIFLES. Seniors.—Gillespie. Wilson. Todd. Reiil. Ilarbutt. Blytlie, McGregor. Hoc-kin, Kirk, Parub. Souter, Duckworth. Gallagher, Xoakes, Fogarty. Augell, Francis. TARANAKI V. NORTH AUCKLAND. TARANAKI 12, BEAT XORTH AUCKLAXD 11. (By Telegraph—Own Correspondent.) WHANGAREI, Thursday. The closing game of the season was played at Kensington Park to-day, before an attendance of about 1000 people. The/ ground was in good order, and the ball easy to handle. Taranaki won by twp tries and two penalties, against three tries and a conversion. Assisted by high wind and sun, Taranaki dominated the game in the lirst half, which ended: Taranaki 9, Xorth Auckland 0. The formidable pack of Xorth Auckland forwards were opposed by men of equal calibre, followed up by hard kicking, which nullified any attempt to set the Xorth Auckland, backs going. The consistent marking of the outstanding forwards was a good feature of generalship. On the change over the wind, which had favoured the visitors, dropped, no advantage accruing. Contrary to expectations Xorth Auckland, chiefly in the forward section, developed an aggressive game, which if it had been consistent throughout would have resulted in an assured victory. While in the first half they met an aggressive forward pack, with better, back combination backing and following, there was a total reversion of play in the second spell, and with any luck Xorth Auckland should have emerged victorious. Failure at an easy conversion following on a try, and later an assured chance of scoring practically thrown away by a "Xorth Auckland back, lost victory to North Auckland. Summed up there was nothing to choose between the two teams individually, although football generally was not up to interprovlncial standard. While they held supremacy in the first spell, Taranaki were only twice in an attneking position in the latter stages. For Taranaki Robinson scored two tries and Johnson kicked two penalty goals For Xorth Auckland Wilkins. Watson and Meyer scored tries, one of which was converted by Bunny Finlayson.