FATAL MISTAKES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 208, 3 September 1934, Page 13

FATAL MISTAKES.

HOW THE MATCH WAS LOST. A REVIEW OF THE PLAYERS. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star") WELLINGTON, .this day. The Auckland team will have to settle down considerably -if it is to wrest the Ranfurly Shield from Hawke's Bay, when the provinces meet, while Wellington's chances of defeating Canterbury next week-end cannot be judged bright after the stem struggle that was witnessed at Athletic Park on Saturday. It was a war of attrition, with the, opposing forwards wearing one another down, with a procession of the injured wearily making their way back into the stand from both sides, and the newcomers 6wamped in the surging tide of humanity, which struggled desperately around the 1 ball for long minutes at a time. Prom the outset it was seen that the Auckland forwards were quicker in movement, better' at gathering the ball, sharper in getting the ball away from the.line, out. Two things, though,, those forwards would not do. The first was push; though it must be said that their - scrummage work after Wellington moved ahead _into what was to prove the final position of the scores was stupendously powerful, the tactics of a great pack. The second was handle the ball. It was in handling that the Aucklanders lost the match. Ihey could get the ball, they could smash the Wellington defence into so many pieces, that it seemed impossible for it to knit again, but they could not hold the ball long enough to score. It was always the critical pass which was dropped, and it was not often the fault of the pass. McLean, McGrory and Pearce all lost tries through fatal mishandling, and they were tries which had been earned by brilliance of team work and fine judgment by the forwards themselves. The case ol Pearce, of course, is a trifle different from that of the others. A brilliant opportunist and a man with a great eye for an opening, he defeated himself by edging too far ahead of his fellows, and three times was in an offside position when a scoring chance came along. As on one of these occasions he gathered in the ball from Hedge's kick, and was given a try, however, the errors were not a total loss.

Lack of System. The weakness of both teams was thai they had no general plan of attack. Neither was able to exploit the traditional passing rush with any degree of success, Auckland because the Wellington backs stood close up on them throughout the first half, Wellington because they were not clever enough. But there was ability running to waste in the northern backline which made the result of the match particularly galling to the Auckland side. Hedge, who played at first five-eighth, revealed ability which is distinctly above \nter-provincial form. He made one magnificent, lightning run through the Wellington ranks, and he was able to get behind his team mates and cover their mistakes. The one thing that seemed clear is he is not able to play a first five-eighths game. He yearns to cut men out, ana with his determination to do the work oi a second five-eighth the situation whicn Murdock found himself in was baH „,?' The Auckland three-quarters, too, weie hesitant and unsure in passing,, and wnen Caughey had a chance to feed.his wrings he often botched it. He had few chances though, for despite Auckland's huge least of the ball it was primarily a » r JfWp battle with the backs making their combined efforts from the loose. Certainly the Wellington side showel fine tackling. Such a trio a s Page t*i-f----fiths and Lilburne is not to be despised bv any back line in being. They got their man almost without the Wellington backs showed themselves innocuous Si attack until they had the

happy thought of working the blind side, the result was a condition of stalemate. But had the Aucklanders been a little more fearless in their throwing about of the ball, they must have won through, especially during that final long, desperate assault after they lost their apparently comfortable lead and pinned Wellington, not only in their twenty-five, but on their own line, for long minutes. Twice the ball came into action, across the field, before the posts. It was a moment for speed of action, and the speed was not quite there. Some of the Features. Wellington were lucky to win. They lost two fine players fairly early in the game, Pollock, at full-back, and Kilby, at half, both retiring, but it was not vital weakness that resulted. Kilby, like Page, like McLean, who also went off, is tired. The All Blacks, in short, have had a3 much football as is good for them, their cup is overflowing and an opportunity to retire from a game at this moment is not] entirely unwelcome. Sadler, who replaced! Kilby, did just as well, and scored an! impudent try during one of the moments' of reaction by the Auckland forwards. Lilburne was replaced by Griffiths, and as the match was not to be decided by the brilliance of five-eighths, that was no handicap. After the All Black match it was refreshing to see that there are still forwards who can play with the old snap and cleverness, and Smith, Bush and Ross in the Auckland side, showed great ability in the traditional loose game and in feeding the backs. In this the Wellington team was hopelessly beaten, it was a side of hard-working men, and it hung together and worked slightly more as a unit than the Aucklanders, but this would not have won the game had it not been for the fact that the losers would not take their scoring chances. Slightly more stability in attack by the Wellington men, much less brilliance and the fact that they were playing on their own ground and able to use the wind more successfully gave them the victory. Few teams to come here appreciate the need for making full use of the strong northerly in the opening half, and Auckland erred with the rest. The problem in" the two teams for the matches ahead is very different. In Auckland it is how to gain a little more stability in defence and manufacture a better combination in attack. For Wellington it is how to work up a combination which may be called really All the local scores were the result of individual bursts, and they are too much coloured with luck to be satisfactory to a side. But after a game or two more there is little doubt that Auckland will have made an effective machine of what is left of her team, while before the season is much older there is no doubt that Wellington will have a side without an _ All Black in it. At that moment, it is possible, the combination which Mr. Mark Nicholls has sought so long and anxiously to develop (even to the extent of trying out 50 players) will begin to be revealed.