EXCITING RUGBY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 220, 17 September 1934, Page 15

EXCITING RUGBY.

TARANAKI'S TRIUMPH. .AUCKLAND WELL BEATEN. HOUSING COUNTRY FORWARDS. Making their first appearance at Eden Park since they lifted the Ranfurlv ,Shield from Hawkc's Bay a week ago, : Auckland's Rugby representatives on V.Saturday were well beaten by Taranaki. After establishing a handy lead in the first half the team completely lost its grip on the game, and the visitors ran out the winners by 28 points to 10. The shield was not at stake, so that Taranaki had nothing to take home as tangible proof of their success. Although for the most part it did not run along brilliant heights, the game was fast and exciting, particularly in the second spell, when the visitors literally romped away from their opponents. One of the biggest crowds of the season saw the visitors reduce a seven-point deficit to a three-point advantage and over the closing stages watched them clap on ten more points to make them clear-cut winners at the finish. In an entertaining first spell the , honours were slightly in favour of Auckland, although the margin in actual points was next to nothing. The first try of the match came after a glorious Taranaki attack when Kinsella, the visiting left winger, showed a good burst of speed and a clever sidestep before handing on to Townsend, who had come round outside him, for a try at the corner. Collins' kick hit an upright and went over. Auckland equalised when Corner, receiving the ball from his forwards near the Taranaki. line, shot a pass to Hedge, who raced through the defence and eluded the full-back to touch down near the posts. Heazlewood converted. The next score came as the result of a bright attack by the Auckland backs, Caughey , taking an infield pass from' Kedgley and streaking round to the posts for* a try which Heazlewood easily converted. With six minutes to go before the half-time bell, Taranaki attacked vigorously, and when the baTl came out of the* blind side of a loose scrum near the Auckland line, Clarke broke quickly and picked it up to romp over. The kick missed, giving Auckland a two-point lead at the breather. Taranaki on Top. The opening of the second spell was Uneventful, and when Auckland went further into_ the lead as the result of Hedge sending a perfect dummy to Collins and racing over for a try which Heazlewood again converted, it appeared likely that the shield-holders were comfortably on the road for a win. It was when they appeared beaten, however, that Taranaki produced the best that they had in their bag, and their strenuous efforts were rewarded when, following a . loose attack, Brown sent the ball to Sullivan, who, with a brilliant sidestep, Hashed through to score_ a try which Collins converted. Within three minutes the visitors gained the lead as the result of Sangster scoring and Collins converting. With Auckland fa-ding badly, Taranaki went on to make their victory a convincing one, and in the last ten minutes of play Brown and Pastier scored tries, both of which were converted by Collins, although on one occasion his kick was ruled over only by the referee, the line umpires fla "gin" it as -unsuccessful. Such, in actual seores, is the story of Taranaki's welldeserved victory over the holders of the ( Ranfurly Shield. , ..... -, V.b. Oii the plaj- Taranaki were the better :iTeam, even though their margin of success might suggest that their sriperio-" /xity was greater than it actually was. their success was due )*o battling by their forwards. , in Tie first half the visiting pack was /Often shaded by their opponents, but ■f;in. the second spell it was thev who galled the tune, and the Auckland team -jClid not have; it in them to regain control ..of the game. During the time that they ; -TVere atV their best the Taranaki forhandled like backs'in addition to '-■winning the ball from scrums and line•>«ts. Their stamina was amazing, and ;rthey left the, locals wondering!. If thev ;,felt the strain of a strenuous first half #hey did not show it, their play during .-fshe period that they took the control of -the match from, the Auckland side being vthe fastest seen on the day. OutstandJWS. among the. visitors' forwards was bC]ark'e. T t From first whistle'to last lie swas.a splendid worker. In the tight ijhe; toiled desperately and in the loose stood.'out above the. others. To the | Auckland backs he was always a •;£poiler'./-.'yoiui& and were others vWfio. caught the eye, the last-named jfoeing , continually - prominent, in . the '-loose; ' ••. i? Smothering Tactics, --v.. Smothering tactics were- used successfully by the Taranaki backs, the Auckland line being compelled to stand deeper than they would have preferred. When the visitors made their bid for victory they threw the ball about with a glad abandon, and the risks that they took proved justified. Later, when they were in a winning position they played a more careful game, although they were ever on the lookout for a chance to increase their margin. Gudgeon, the Taranaki half-back, made several smart dashes round the scrum to shoot through the Auckland- line, but it was Brown who was responsible for- most of the brightest openings. The wings, Kinsella and Sullivan, appeared to have a little more speed than the Aucklanders, and whenever they we're given' the ball they made the most of it./ Each showed clever footwork 'and several time 3 stepped their way into open ground when it appeared certain that they' "were blocked. Collins, the full-back; made good use of the line, although. it was his picking up of a rolling ball that was the outstanding feature" of his play. -.'v

Auckland were at- their best during a period which followed the scoring of Taranaki's first try. Their forwards gained the ball as easily from set serums as from lineoutis, and their loose rushes frequently threatened to break . cleanthrough the defence. The backs", finding "that their opponents were bustling "them, stood deeper, and for a time were able to do something with their opportunities. In the second half, when the Taranaki forwards had control? the team faded badly, and there, no cohesion among the forwards'.; \VKnighfc at times played magnificently, being thq leader of the Auckland pack almost throughout tlie game. Behind the scrum Corner served the backs faithfully and also did much valuable work in covering the Taranaki attacks. Hedge's straight running and .nippiness was one of the bright spots of the Auckland attack, and he and Caughey were the most closely "watched of the Auckland, backs. The three-quarters were , more solid.. thaji brilliant. Heazlewood found the dry .ball easjr to handle and made few mistakes. His line kicking was accurate and he also' succeeded in. converting Auckland's three tries, ' ''