SHIELD RUGBY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 155, 4 July 1927, Page 12

SHIELD RUGBY.

BUSH OVERWHELMED. WAIRARAPA BACKS BRILLIANT. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") MASTERTON, Saturday. The first challeuge match for the Ranfurly Shield since Wairarapa won it from Hawke's Bay, at Napier, 011 June 3 last was played at Masterton this afternoon between Wairarapa and Bush. The weather conditions were wretched. The ground was sodden as the result of heavy rain, and it was soon churned up. A cold easterly wind blew at intervals, accompanied by showers of rain. The holders' team was practically the same as that which beat Bush a couple of weeks ago at Pahiatua, by 40 points to 8, except that Jim Donald, the All Black rover, was absent. He is returning to New Zealand from Sydney. His place was taken by Bob Booth." Bush kicked off. The Wairarapa forwards got going early and, Siddells missing the ball, Bush were hard pressed, but Parker missed a pass and lost Wairarapa a certain score. Wairarapa kept up the attack, but two free kicks gave temporary relief to Bush. A determined attack saw Bi\sh find relief in a forcedown. The play was mostly in the Bush territory for some time, with an occasional break-away by the challengers' forwards. After ragged play Cooke electrified the crowd by a brilliant run. Kicking over Siddells' head and securing the ball again, he scored. The kick at goal was forfeited through two hands touching the ball. Then, about two minutes later, Stringfellow made a splendid run and scored. Cundy converted. A few minutes later Cundy obtained the ball on the blind side, ran for 40 yards and scored behind the posts. Cundy converted. Then Hiroti swung the ball to Cundy, to Cooke, to Yates, who scored. Yates failed with the kick. Wairarapa were walking through Bush. Reside scored but Cundy failed to convert. Cundy retired a little later with an injured ankle, and was replaced by Williams. Then Cooke broke away again, made a great run and scorcd. He converted his try. Half-time came. The game so far had been ragged, and much in Wairarapa's favour. Wairarapa Keep on Scoring. Shortly after the start of the sccond spell, Reid got offside and Udy kicked a goal for Bush. After play had held to the centre, Harvey secured the ball, made a great run and scored. Cooke converted. Play continued to be ragged and more individualistic than anything else. Wairarapa did most of the attacking, then, from a passing rush, R. Booth scored and Cooke converted. From a Wairarapa attack, Cooke dived through the opposition to score and converted his try. From a crosskick by Roache, Stringfellow secured the ball and ran in behind the goal. Cooke converted. Then Cooke came away with a brilliant run and passed to Yates, who scored. Cooke failed. Then from a forward rush, G. Donald scored, but the kick was forfeited. Wairarapa were still having all the best of the play and R. Booth got over at a corner. Harvey failed with the kick. There was no further score and the game, which was not up to Ranfurly Shield standard, ended. Wairarapa 53 Bush 3 " ' 1 ——— j WAIRARAPA NOT IMPRESSIVE. COOKE SCORES NINETEEN POINTS. ! (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) MASTERTON, this day. 1 Though Wairarapa swamped the Bush team on Saturday, the fact must not ' be overlooked that the opposition was ' of the "paper bag" type. • The football j for most part was ragged, with occas- 1 sional dashes of Ranfurly Shield stand- ! ard by the Wairarapa backs. Had , Wairarapa displayed that team work i expected of a high-grade team, there ' is no knowing what the score would 1 have been. The Bush players, both in defence and attack, were lamentably weak. S. K. Siddells, the ex All-Black, played a deplorable game at full-back, being too bulky, too slow and too uncertain. It was very patent to keen critics on Saturday that Wairarapa will have to display very much better football against Hawke's Bay if they are to retain the shield. The one bright spot in the game was the brilliance of Cooke, who scored three tries, and kicked five goals. He outgeneralled the opposition and outwitted them at every turn. His lightning-like stabs paralysed the opposition; in fact, at times the game was between Cooke and the Bush. The mediocre display by Wairarapa was due in part to the weakness of the opposition. Wairarapa did not take the game as seriously as they would had it bee§ Hawke's Bay that they were playing against.