ALL BLACKS AND OTHERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 130, 4 June 1929, Page 16

ALL BLACKS AND OTHERS.

KEEN CLUB PLAY.

REVIEW OF THE GAMES.

THE 1929 AXiL BLACKS

A CHOP 01-' NEW I'LAYKUS

The defeat of Training College mi Saturday leaves no team in the Auckland senior competition without a defeat. It also alters the leading position materially, the competition for first place being so close that the one defeat drops Training College from first to third place, while Ponsonby and University are equal in the lead. The points of the leading teams are: Ponsonby 10, University 10, Training College !), Manukau and Grammar G. At the same time Technical Old Boys and College Rifles are showing improvement which may threaten any of the leaders with a loss against them. The outlook for keen and exciting games to the end of the season is exceedingly bright.

"Ankle Tapping" —the players if not the spectators at Eden Park knew what the term implies. A reprehensible habit exists a some of the players to deliberately kick the ankles of their opponents in the scrum. One team on Saturday had no less than five players injured in this manner, two going off, whilst the others finished the game with a limp. Referees cannot see everything, but it will be well if any offenders caught are dealt with in an exemplary fashion.

CITY FORWARDS TRIUMPH,

"Any team is just as good as the opposition will permit," was strikingly demonstrated on Saturday. Training College have a fine mobile set of backs whose speed and cleverness had placed them at the head of the list with an unbeaten record. But when they met City at Eden Park the red forwards set up such a hot pace and maintained it so relentlessly that the students practically never had a chance to get going. Broadly speaking, it was a case of a good set of forwards against a good set of backs, and the less showy division won the day, as it always will, other tilings being

equal. It is hard to over-praise the work of the City vanguard, and just as difficult to particularise." Fletcher must again be singled out for exceptional work. The whole seven were on the job frbin the kick off and they kept going at a fast bat until the whistle sounded no time. Their following up was first-class and their tackling deadly. Only one feature seemed to be absent, which, if added, would make them a most formidable combination, namely to take the ball at toe in a combined rush for the opposition goal line.

Behind the seven was intelligent, strategy making the best use of the material available. Skipper Ifwersen wisely left the brunt of the attack to his forwards and for the rest played a close

game with his rover and live-eighths who were kept well up in a position to strangle in its early stages any efforts of the opposing backs to stage a passing bout. Supplementing all this was cool, clever work by Ifwersen, with Berridge co-operating. It was a treat to see this pair at work tor Berridge was at his best, and his penetrating runs were highly effective. Neil Ifwereen was above his usual form and did well until compelled to retire, as also did Allen. Crooke, who came on as substitute, is quite promising. Herewini was somewhat patchy, brilliant in parts, but occasionally letting his side down badly. He would do well to make use of both hands when taking the ball. The onehanded take is spectacular and occasionally invaluable, but distinctly uncertain. Kerr-Taylor gave a fine display as fullback.

The defeat of the students has already been explained. Their backs were as ? ood as ever with Abbott outstanding on the day for his general work and great line kicking. Bae at half, stood up to a gruelling afternoon's work splendidly, while Butler was in capital form and saved his side time and again. Their forwards battled gamely against a heavier pack with Peacock especially noticeable. ,

THE NAVY WAY.

That thoroughness which is always associated with the Navy was a lot in evidence at Eden Park on Saturday, when teams from H.M.s. Dunedin and H.M.s. Diomede provided a very lively curtain raiser. It was a spiritedly contested game from whistle 'to whistle, with something in it all through -to keep the spectators interested. The rivalry between the ships is strong and there were no beg-pardons, both sides playing vigorous Rugby. It is not claimed that either team showed clever Rugby, but there was a refreshing something that made the game a very popular appetiser for the senior games that followed.

The scoring throughout was close and it was only a single point, one of three I scored within the last couple of minutes of the game, that gave Dunedin the win. The success of the men from the flagship appeared to be very popular with the majority of the bluejackets on the terraces and a couple o£ dozeu caps were thrown high into the air. Dunedin owed their win to a hard-work-ing pack of forwards who played as if the "ame carried with it the highest honours in the fleet. Stott, m P lar, toiled willingly all through. The flagship's rearguard was weak— decidedly scAalthough there were occasional bright individual efforts. The showed plenty of pace but too waited for the ball to bounce. Generally speaking, the backs lacked knowledge of positional play, and c °mbmatwn was almost entirely lacking. The Diomedes pack found the opposition very tou n, but they went into the fray willing y> although they could have claimed the honour# of the engagement. The backs *how«d more promise than their opponents, but they-failed to take advantage

of this. Had they combined better the flagship's defence probably would have been subjected to a very severe drubbing. There was one feature of the match that was particularly noticeable —every man was trained to the letter. Despite the hard knocks that were freely given and taken it was only on very rare occasions that the services of the ambulance men were needed—a fact that spoke lots for the physical condition of the players. After seeing the match there were many who formed tile opinion that between them the ships should be able to field at least a good senior B team.

MANUKAU HARD PRESSED

After a tame and uninteresting start the game at Onehunga developed into a fairly exciting one, especially during the last quarter, when both teams threw the ball about in great fashion, with College Rifles trying hard to score. They were very unlucky, as they crossed three times, either to be forced out or lose possession of the ball. Both packs of forwards toiled hard, feeding their backs well, but without much avail, as both sets of backs were distinctly off colour and lost many golden opportunities to score. The outstanding back on the ground was Gillespie, the full-back for College Rifles, who gave a

dashing display lor his side. His handling was excellent, he stopped many dangerous rushes, and his line kicking C ,amcd his side much ground. Webber was the pick cf the three-quarters, and made good use of his limited opportunities. He is very fast when in possession of the ball. Wilson and Donald did not combine well, consequently the outside backs suffered. The latter broke -away on quite a number of occasions," and is very hard to stop. Kirk, at half, gave a good display, but his main weakness is running into the pack when he has the ball. The forwards are a great pack, working well together and, breaking up very fast, were a thorn in the Manukau side. They were mainly responsible for keeping the score down, as they:.broke up the movements of the opposing backs. The pick of the line were perhaps Fogarty, Lawn, and Souter. For the winners, Leng, an ex-League recruit, gave a fair display at a game strange to him. He is rather slow when being pressed, but his kicking was very good. Linden was the pick of a moderate three-quarter line, and made good use of any opportunities that came his way, but he met his match in Webber for speed. Turei saved from a few awkward positions. Fahvasser and E. Brimble were too well' watched to be seen to advantage. The first-named was responsible for Kahu scoring a try, starting with one of his electric "corkscrew runs, which left the opposition amazed at his trickiness. Bryers gave a pleasing exhibition at half, whipping the ball away well. He is easily the most improved player of the side. C. Satherly was again the shining light in a very light pack: He is always battling away in the thick of it. E. Hou'sham, the veteran, gave quite a good display, being continually prominent in any Iqose rushes. .Taylor and Kahu played sound games, and were very noticeable in the dying stages of the game for their breaking away from dangerous positions.

THE PATCHWORK GAME.

From so much fantasy in the patchwork game between Ponsonby and Marist, which was the big attraction at Eden Park, it is a hard task to assign merit. Individually, the players worked themselves to a standstill, but it seemed that the fates committed them to all sorts of errors when they attempted any conceited effort. The teams were only shadows of their former selves.

For the second Saturday in succession, No. 1 ground at headquarters has produced poor football. But, whereas last Saturday there was only one fragment to relieve the arid waste, there were in the Ponsonby-Marist match several fleeting glimpses of ability in a desert of depressing play. It must be fairly said that the first quarter produced some dingdong, if not finished exchanges. But suddenly, as an exhibition, play descen-. ded into depressing depths, then soared again, and in the last few minutes the Ponsonby backs pranced through to the consternation of the Marist defence. Through it all on one occasion came L. Hook, fed smartly by his inside men, winding ,a sinuous and elusive way to score between the posts.. But nearly all. Popsonby tries are scored in some delightful fashion. Marist backs succeeded in bottling up the fast Ponsonby flyers for the first spell only. Stuart got hard up on L. Hook and at times the resourceful Cammick was puzzled to know what to do. But the Marist defence, for some time under suspicion, wavered and fell. Then the flying Ponsonby attack told its tale. That about sums up the disappointing clash. Marist actually started like a whirlwind, but gradually subsided into a disillusioned team. The forwards packed their scrum honestly and well, with the result that Hadley and his partner were given a reasonable chance of hooking the ball. This they did cleanly in the first few set scrums, but the Marist forwards soon started seagull play. It was fatal. Ponsonby from then on got most of the ball. Marist forwards promised much more than they accomplished. It is a great pity that most of them do not take a leaf out of Hadley's book. There is one in particular who lias weight but who is never over zealous in using it. Malloy impaired his play by a penchant to wander, and he was not the only one to seek an outlet for his eagerness in this manner. On the other hand, the Ponsonby pack, admirably led by McWilliams quickly settled down to serious and solid work. Palmer and Heyward did a consistent job of work, while Solomon flashed in and out of the 'picture in a variety of interesting ways. The Marist backs failed because they were slow in getting on the move, the inside men doing grotesqug, things. The Ponsonby backs succeeded because they were dexterous and quick of wit. At times they failed in their movements, because the inside men ran across the field. Their skipper did not play through an injured ankle. What a difference Lucas makes to the Ponsonby attack!

RUNAWAY WIN.

The game between Grammar and Grafton ended in an easy win for the Old Boys. Grafton at no stage of the game looked to be loming out winners. The bustling white pack., by superior weight and dribbling, carried too many guns for the magpies. The white backs combined better than usual, and grasped most of the opportunities given to them by the vanguard. The game could in no way be termed exciting, though some of the movements were delightful to watch, particularly the in-and-out passing. The drop kick came into vogue, and each side succeeded in adding the four points to the score. The Grammar forwards, though only succeeding in obtaining equal share of the ball, were far superior to their opponents, loose dribbling being the feature of their play, also line-out work. Ta'ty was perhaps the best forward in the loose Cathcart shone in the line-out, and Sehnauer was noticeable for doii.g more than his share in the tight. Potter played his usual solid game and succeeded in notching two tries. Corner outshone his vis-a-vis in practically all departments. Olsen, playing in a new position, combined well with Bell; his tackling is still the best

feature of his game. The opposing live-eighths v were cleverer than Grammar's, but did not receive enough ball to be really dangerous. With Liddle in at live-eighths the remainder of the backs' lacked penetration, and did not follow the five-eighths through. Menzies and Singleton were the better pair of wings, the former receiving most ot' the ball, and once away took a lot of stopping. Gardiner, at full-back, was erratic, his tackling, however, helped Grammar out.

The worst feature of Grafton's play was the tackling; it was lamentably weak, and some of the attempts were ludicrous. Finlavson was a great loss to the pack when he retired early in the game with a bruised nose, his leadership was sadly missed. Of the remainder Wanoa and Keary grafted all day, being particularly noticeable in the tight.

A LATE AWAKENING

For three and a-half of the four spells of the game between University and Technical Old Boys, it was dou'btful whether the students would retain their position at the top of the Rugby ladder. The lead swung alternately to each side, the greens securing it first in the opening minute of play. W'hen the score was nine all, only one try had been registered, and there were five contributions either from marks or free kicks. Then Technical Old Boys went off with surprising dash, and the vim of their forwards gave Hahn their first and only try, and a three-point lead. It' was only at this stage that - Uuiversity seemed really to wake up. Previously their forward's had been very lackadaisical and the rearranged back division so much at sea that tie two speedy wingers received the ball only when it was kicked to them. It was a very disappointing exhibition for the University supporters who saw their fifteen, but certainly not their strongest fifteen, much below par. With defeat probable, however, University really woke up. The pack infused more devil into t'heir efforts, and though the five-eighths were inclined to come too much across afield, ball managed to reach the wings. Keene turned the blue debit into a credit, and then the rearguard struck something of its expected combination. Minns put the issue beyond doubt the moment lie was given room by the opposing backs, who had hitherto marked him closely. In a great sprint he showed them all a clean pair of heels, and galloped round under the posts to present X. Jenkin with an easy kick. University does not want for fullbacks. Matheson proved an excellent substitute for Bush, and not once was his tackling, fielding or kicking at fault. Minns and Goodwin received few opportunities till the closing minutes, previously their work being confined mainly to defence. The centre and five-cightlis were not a happy combination, and Jenkin was not as much at home, behind the scrum as in his usual place. Keene, back into the jersey again, was the same untiring rover as of yore, T>ut overinclined to get ahead of the ball at times, and wait there. The pack seemed possessed of the tired feeling, though' Edwards was an exception,, and they will have to display better form for the prospective clash with Ponsonby. A light side, Technical Old Boys have every reason to 'be satisfied with their display. They, too, 'have a. pair of speedy and determined wingers in Couper and Morgan, but the five-eighths are slow and rather unenterprising. Keane, opposed to his differently-spelled namesake, played a rattling game, nsed his feet well in dribbling, and his placekicking was responsible, for half of the greens' score. The greens have a find in Hahn, the ex-West Coast-Buller representative, who grafted solidly from start to finish. He contributed the other six points for his side, and proved a big help to a light but hard-working set of forwards. The keenness of the greensshould make them a hard proposition for most of the other fifteens during the remainder of the season.

DARGAVILLE TOURNAMENT.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) DARGAVILLE, this clay. Dull weather with light showers was experienced for the Rugby Tark s birthday celebrations at Dargaville to-day. There was an exceptionally large attendance considering the weather, and an interestin" programme of football and hockey v.as put through without a hitch. The gathering was a credit to the Northern Wairoa Ru-rbv Football Union. ~ , _ „ The seven-a-side senior football tournament for the Allen Shield was T7on by , "'Sw. < i K SS?N.rtt,er„ M . P*® to 3 and United beat Public Works by 10 to 3. In the final United beat Ruawai The junior seven-a-side for the Ruawai Cup was won by Dargaville. Results. Dargaville 11, beat Northern Star 0, Public Works 7, beat Ruawai 0; Dargaville 16, beat Southern (Te Kopuru) 0. In the final Dargaville 9, beatß^^a-io-The third grade seven-a-side tourneyfor the Rugby Union Cop was won by Mamaranui. who beat Dargaville by 13 to S in The primarv schools' seven-a-sidc toiifnpy for Wniro'a Stores Trophy was won by Aratapu. who beat Dargaville by 6 to •>• The ladies' :,ockey tourney was won fcv Dargaville. .„ , „ Thp basketball competition will be completed iater.