SHIELD GAME REVIEWED.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 199, 23 August 1926, Page 11

SHIELD GAME REVIEWED.

AUCKLAND FORWARDS' EFFORT. WEAKNESS IN REARGUARD. C'y Tele^rapU.—S|):'.i;ii ;,» ■S:a: , . i XAPIEK, Saturday. Lj) ti.l half-time Auckland caused a certain auiouiu o; uneasiness in tLe .il.lidd or ti;_- Bay supporters, but at -lie iiKurval tuey comforted themselves ■Vith tue rc-u-con ihat the Slnei.l .loldera are iioted loi great second spell aiforts when tkhigs are going against :heru. lv "the earlier stages in the first hail Auckland undoubtedly was the better s.de, and it was only Nepia"e goaikicking which prevented scores irom showing the margin of superiority exercised over the Bay by the magnilicent game of the AuckUnd forvvards. After their tremendous game agjiust Wellington the previous waoit, iirownlie and company were very sluggish in the first iian oi Liie valise, anil it was not till the second half that they gave a glimpse if that great smashing football which furnishes the ground work for the more spectacular methods en their backs. Led by Knight, who was probably the best forward on the ground, the Auckland forwards outplayed their formidable opponents at the outset, but they could not maintain the pace. A Missed Opportunity. Had the inside backs linked up effectively with the three-quarter line there might have been a different tale to tell. Lack of cohesion in the Auckland reaVguard imposed a further strain on the wonderful resource and dasli of the Auckland pack, and, ten minutes after the second spell commenced, it was evident that the pace was beginning to tell on them. Bay's Shock Tactics. Maurice Brownlie, the great leader of a great team, seemed instinctively to divine that the critical moment in the game had arrived, and he and his fellow forwards launched a series of tremendous assaults on the Auckland line. Condition told, and in the later stages Auck-' land's gallant forward division com- ' menced to break up under the terrific 3train imposed on them by the Bay's shock tactics, with the result that the score became one-sided in the closing stages. But it scarcely represents the true margin of difference, as the Auck'and pack was completely run off its legs in the last quarter of an hour. Brilliant Back Soloists. ■ The back play of both sides on the ' whole was lacking in all-round combina- I tion. rearguard movements being mostly | confined to a sectional burst and individual efforts. Some of them, however, were exceptionally brilliant. Johnson, the ex-Wellington five-eighths, played a great all-round game for the Shielclholders, being strong alike on attack and defence. Blake was superlatively brilliant on attack, his great pace and swift changes of speed and direction beating the defenders on several occasions. Nepia proved that he retains all his old form, and Cooke, although handicapped by a leg injury, was consistently good, and at times* brilliant. Maurice Brownlie was again the dominating figure in the forwards, and Cyril Brownlie, Swain and Irvine were not far behind. Forwards Play Their Part. The Auckland hookers. Palmer and Hadley, were just a shade too good for their opponents from start to finish, and Auckland also held their own in the lineout, where Knight, Cathcart, McWilliams and Batty did crreat work. It was in the loose that the Bay forwards were superior, and, if anything, Auckland made the game too tight in front, with the result that their inside backs were severely harassed.

Ifwersen played a great game, considering his lack of opportunity, Lucas was very sonnd both on attack and defence, with the exception of missing Blake on one occasion, and any man might have been beaten by the letter's lightning swerve. Butler was very solid at fullback.

Auckland's ineffectual goal-kicking lost them quite a number of points. As a whole it was .a capital game to watch, and was played in a good spirit. It was controlled by Mr. H. Paton, of Wellington, who pleased both sides by a sound and impartial display. It was evident early in the game that the man with the whistle ■was determined that the game should not get out of hand, and his prompt and decisive display was the subject of much favourable comment. SECOHDAKY SCHOOLS. FINAL OP COMPETITION. In tb* final match of the senior secondary schools competition between Kind's Collie and Mount Albert Grammar School, the teams played a draw, both sides scoring 6 points. As the resa.'t of this match, Auckland Grammar win the competition, with King's seccnd. PUT TH2 WHISTLE AWAY. The Rugby referees left their whistles at home on 'Saturday afternoon while they played a match with Grafton third grade team. The referees prevailed, winning by 19 points to Iβ after a good game.