RUGBY HONOURS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 195, 19 August 1935, Page 12

RUGBY HONOURS.

GRAFTON STILL LEADS

CHAMPIONSHIP PXTZZIX.

TECHNICAL STILL WINNING.

Grafton, by ite victory over University in the big match of the Rugby programme at Eden Park on Saturday afternoon, still head the Auckland Rugb.v Uniou's senior championship table. Ail matches were played on slippery fields with an elusive ball. The sole selector of the New Zealand Universities Rugby Council. Mr. P. Martin-Smith, watched the main game, but there could have been little in it to impress him.

On No. 2 Eden Park Marist ran to an S —3 lead against Manukau and held it to the end, the result being a fairly true reflection of the trend of play. Out at the Showgrounds Grammar went down somewhat ingloriouely to Technical College Old Boys, who scored a comfortable win by 12 points to 3. After Saturday's matches the ultimate championship winners are as hard to find as they were at the beginning of the season. Results were:— Grafton 9. beat University 3. Marist 8. beat Manukau 5. Technical 12, beat Grammar 3. Poneonby 16. beat Otahuhu 7Championship points are:— Points. Ch. p. W. L. r>. F. A. Pts. Grafton lli 7 4 1 127 109 15 Technical 0.8. 11 C 3 2 145 77 14 Marist I- , l> o 1 132 131 13 Grammar 0.8. 11 o 4 2 128 133 12 Otahuhu 11 0 5— 135 114 12 University ... 12 (i G— 150 146 12 I'onsonby 11 4 4 3 127 128 11 Manukau 12 2 7 3 101 145 7 College Kities. 10 3 7 — 02 100 6

GRAFTON LEAD THE WAY.

Once again Grafton's fine forwards carried them to victory when they met University in the big match of the Rugby day at' Eden Park on Saturday afternoon, and by their win they retain their place at the top of the championship ladder. The match was played on a heavy lipid and under bleak conditions. Grafton won by nine points to three. Iu order to nurse an injured knee, received in the Auckland-Taranaki match at New Plymouth, B. A. Killeen played full-back for Grafton, and there was a consequent reshuffle of the Grafton backs. Stuart took Killeen's place at second liveeighth, Dick came in from the wing to centre three-quarter and his place was filled by Paton, the usual full-back. The reorganisation did not prove to be a happy combination, and when Grafton realised that their backs were not functioning as they should, they closed the game up and kept play mainly among their forwards. Anderson and Bunting were their best. The match was by no means brilliant. There was much scrappy play and little real artistry. Three tries were scored by Grafton, while University crossed their opponents' line only once. Grafton's victory was the result of sustained excellent work by their forwards, while University's defeat was brought about by the failure of McFarland, the second five-eighth, and Lewis, the centre three-quarter. The University hacks were given plenty of opportunity to run up points. Their forwards pave them a generous supply of the ball, both from scrums and line-outs, and they were well fed by Inglls from behind tae pack. Several times Mulvihill brilliantly cut the defence to shreds, but seldom was he given the support he deserved. McFarlnnd appeared to be totally incapable of following the fast-moving Mulvihill, and golden opportunities were frittered away. Mulvihill perhaps played his best game of the season, attacking with resource and defending and tackling with determination.

The only other back on the University side who im-pressed was R. G. Bush, who once again played a fine game, In spite of the fact that he had a bone broken in his right hand In the first minute of play. lie will probnbly not be in action again for n month. His linekicking throughout was excellent nnd the manner in which hp picked up difficult rolling balls was brilliant.

MARIST PACK TURN SCALE,

Tn n kpenly contested game with most of the finor points lacking, hut compensated by vieotir nnd determination on both sides. Marist mj Hnys gained the verdict over Manukau by S points to .">. Weather conditions were against n really attractive exhibition of Rucby. a soggy ground nnd erfasy liall providing n serious handicap to accurate play amongst the backs. Despite these drawbacks the match was full of interest from start to finish and it was anybody's pa me until time was called. It was superior pack work by Marists which turned the scale in their favour. They controlled the hall once it went into the serum. On attack it was heeled to Porteous. who fed his hacks well, and on defence they kept the piny tight and cave their opponents' little chance to finalise. In the loose there was little between the two sets of forwards and the same remark applies to the backs. There was plenty of dashing play on both sides, but tackling was vigorous nnd effective, nnd as n consequence only thrse tries were scored, all in the first spell. The first was secured by Marists within a minute of the game opening. Manukau were manifestly surprised at the speed of Mnrists' initial attack nnd before they realised what was happening Curtayne had made an onening for Smith to gallop across. Quito soon the Portites gave an effective reply when from a forward dribhle Flett touched down and Berridge converted. For the rest of the spell Mnrifsts were pressing hard most of the time and finally their persistence was rewarded when Curtayne threw out a long pass to Smith, who beat his man and then transferred to Fitzcibbon, who got the try. Onrfayne converted. In the second spell play was up and down until the final stapes, when the rtlaeks attacked with extra vim and it appeared that they would even up the score. They were rsther unlucky as Berridge just missed scoring a penalty kick from near the half-way mark when the hall bounded hack from the crossbar, and a pot-shot by Brimble struck the upright. For the winners Purtayne was again conspicuous in initiating dangerous movements and he was well- supported by Smith on the wing. Elliott was thoroughly sound at full-back. For Manukau. Berridge put in a fine afternoon's work and Brimble. too. was in first-class form. Final scores: Marist Old Boys § Manukau ° Mr. J. Finlayson was referee.

TECHNICAL WIN WELL.

That Technical Old Boys may prove the winners of the club championship this season was evident from the clear-cut win which they scored over Grammar Old Boys at the Showgrounds. Two unconverted tries, a penalty goal and.a goal from a mark to an unconverted try gave them, a comfortable O-point victory on a day on which they were not expected to be seen at their best. In the first half Technical played with a strong wind against them, and in the early stages Grammar had a feast of the ball. Solid defence, however, kept the whites out, and it was the greens who registered the first points. An unconverted try to Grammar levelled the figures, but after that Technical held their opponents well and there was no further score before half-time. In the second half the greens put on the pace and had definitely the better of the play, with the result that they were able to add 9 points, which gave them the win by that margin. Before the start of the game one of the Technical supporters remarked that if the ground had been dry and the weather fine he believed that the greens would have scored a good win, but with the conditions ns they were he thought the Grammar forwards might carry the day. As events turned out. however, the whole Technical side rose to the occasion and undoubtedly deserved their success. Although they did not win the ball as often as their opponents from the set scrums, the forwards played tirelessly and kept well together. August, Weber and Ansley were a fine trio, while A. Keane did a lot of valuable defensive work that was not generally noticed. As wing forward, Mackenzie also played a big part in Technical's success by frequently harassing the Grammar inside backs. Aro was generally sound, although in the. second half was inclined to attempt too much on his own. Murdoch was seen in a number of tricky runs in the second half, and Haslam's good covering and Lash's kicking were of considerable value. Turbott, after a shaky start, proved a capable last line of defence.

Among the Grammar backs Jessup was a lot in the picture and played well, but at times on attack his kicking was too strong. Up til! the time of his retirement, Fletcher was always dangerous on attack. On occasions the whole Grammar back line handled splendidly, but their efforts were nullified by the good defence which they encountered. Lockington, A. Brown and Don were conspicuous for good work among the forwards. For Technical tries were scored by Olbury and Ansley, while Lash kicked a penalty goal and a goal from a mark. Grammar's three points came from an unconverted trj by Spittal.

PONSONBY'S GOOD DAY. The small band of Kugby fans which braved the elements to view the PonsonbyOtahuhu clash at Sturgess Park fully expected the red and blacks to put it over their opponents, but as the game progressed their hopes waned sadly. Ponsonby, with the wind in their favour, went right out to pile on the points in the first half. Overeagerness saw Carter miss a score within three minutes of the kick-off, and then from a penalty which Bayer missed Herb. Pearson gathered in the return and potted a magnificent goal from 35 yards right in the teeth of the wind. The Otahuhu forwards were holding their opponents well and by keeping the ball at their feet continued to gain control. A passing rush in which Hayden failed to connect gave Ramsay the chance to gallop over and touch down. Battling on Otahuliu's goal line, Ponsonby was penalised and Jameson, smartly fielding the kick, sent the ball over the bar.

Frank Solomon was always prominent and continually harassed the red and blacks, and from a passing bout he secured the ball and sent on to Itamsay to score, l'onsonby's forwards, combined with the services of the wind, were giving the red and blacks a hard task, but they stood up to it well, and on three occasions Hedge, Williams, Pearson nnd Hayden cut through their opponents and were within an ace of scoring. Half time arrived with the local side only three points down and it was fully anticipated that the change over would put a. different complexion oil the game, but apparently the strenuous battling in the hrst half had done Its work, aud it was all Otahuhu could do to prevent Ponsonby from putting on a much bigger score. F. Solomon picked the weakness in the play aud twice he opened play up to send Knight over to score. The best piece of concerted play was when the red and blacks hooked the ball from a scrum and Moyle sent on to Hedge, who cut in nicely and sent on to Williams, to Pearson, who ran through the opposition easily and then sent to Solomon, who dived over, but was held up.

On the day Ponsonby was tiie better team, and the score, Iβ to 7, was a lair indication of the game, which the blue and blacks deserved to win. Their defence was excellent and the team as a whole combined better than the local players. At full, I.enilrum was always safe, and Jameson's speed made him particularly dangerous. Frankhani, at half, got a greater share of the bull than did his opponent Moyle, and made great use of it, getting it away smartly. Frank Solomon was outstanding and was in the thick of all the play, and his position as rover was one of Otahuliu's biggest worries. Knight and Cleghorn, together with Fraser. were the pick of the forwards. For Otahuhu, Beyer was always safe. Hayden showed speed and C. Williams handled well. Pearson was the outstanding back on the ground, covering up his side's mistakes and saving a number of scores. Hedge played well, but has been seen to much greater advantage on the home ground. Moyle, at half, did not get much opportunity, the blue and black forwards getting down on him smartly. In the forwards Breed, Koss and Jury were the best.

REPRESENTATIVE MATCHES,

Bullcr 9, beat Marlborougb, 3. Wellington 11, beat Canterbury 8. Otago 44, beat Wairarapa 3. GRADE GAMES. SENIOR GRADE B. Manukau 8, beat Eden 3. JUNIOR GRADE. Newton 6, beat Eden O. I'onsonby 30, beat Marist 0. Grammar A 3, beat Panmure 0. Grafton 29, beat Manukau 8. Suburbs won by default from Grammar Colts. Southern United A 19, beat Otahuhu 6. THIRD GRADE. Technical 0.8. 31, beat Tumaki 0. Grammar 0.8. 8, beat Otauutm 0. Ponsonby 6, beat Manukau 5. THIRD INTERMEDIATE. Grammar 0.8. 24, beat Suburbs 3. Parnell 14, beat Otahuhu 8. Grafton 24, beat 'Varsity 0. FOURTH GRADE. Suburbs 15, beat Marist 0.8. 3. St. George's (Epsom) 14, drew with Technical 0.8. 14. FIFTH GRADE. Ponsonby S, drew with Marist 0.8. 8. Manukau 3, drew with Technical 0.8. 3. North Shore beat Panmure by default. Suburbs 23, beat Grammar 6. Takapuna 6, beat Howick 4. SIXTH GRADE. Eden 6, beat Suburbs 0. Manukau 12. beat Newton 0. JUNIOR BOYS. INTERMEDIATE. Suburbs won by default from North Shore. Newton 18, beat Eden 0. Marlst 13, beat Ponsonby 0. Manukau 23, beat Takapuna 0. JUNIORS. Suburbs 32, beat Mont Cecilia Convent 0. Newton 6, beat Eden 0. SECONDARY SCHOOLS. FIFTH GRADE. Auckland Grammar A 39, beat Mount Albert 0. CRICKET SCORE. OTAGO AGAINST WAIRAKAPA. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, Saturday. Otago maintained its unbeaten record In representative games this season by completely outclassing Wairarapa. All of the Otago backs were brilliant and they were seen In many spectacular movements. Saxton and Taylor were played in«t<? a « of Simon and Smith, but it made no difference to Otago's fine combination. Gillies and Martin did all that could be expected of five-eighths, and Watt and Procter proved outstanding -wingers, particularly Watt, who scored three spectacular tries. His swerve and pace left Fuller standing. In the first spell Otago rattled up 23 points. Tries were scored by Martin, Quaid, Saxton, Watt and Green, while Taylor kicked two penalty goaJs and Martin converted one try. Otago continued to open up the game from every part of the field in the second spell and tries were scored by Saxton, Green (the outstanding forward on the ground), Quaid and Watt (two), while Martin converted three tries. A few minutes before the end Fuller kicked a penalty goal and Faulls was ordered off. The final score was : — Otago 4* Wairarapa 3

BEMAKKABLE GAME.

WANGANUI AT INVERCARGILL. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) INVERCARGILL, Saturday. The Wanganui touring team met Southland to-day on Rugby Park before an attendance "of 4000. The ground was in .fine order, and the first • spell was played at a fast pace. The Wanganui backs handled the ball well, and Southland showed much improvement on their form against Otago last Saturday. J Crawford and Metcalfe led the home forwards in fine style, but the backs made mistakes In handling. The Wanganui forwards played a fine spoiling game, and the pace of F-irmin, Lockett and Thompson enabled them to do much destructive work. At the end of the first spell Southland led by 18 points to 8. They were dominating the scrums and llne-outs, and their backs were handling with much more pace and accuracy. The second speli was remarkable. Southland, with good rucking and handling, ran to a 24-8 lead. Wanganui retaliated with two fine tries, but Southland again increased their lead to 31-18. In the face of a sou'-wester Wanganui steadily overhauled this score, and amid great popular support ran out winners. The defence of both sides was very poor and in the closing stages the Wanganui forwards raked the field with fast rushes that the Southland back line made only feeble attempts to stop. Jones, Peterson and Campbell showed up well as inside backs in the visiting side. Wanganui 34 Southland >...»,.«»«....»..« 81

CANTERBURY BEATEN". "WELLINGTON'S CLOSE WIN. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Saturday. Wellington defeated Canterbury, holders of the Kanfurly Shield, by 11 points to 8 at Athletic Park to-day. A crowd o£ 7000 watched the game. The ground was heavy after rain, and a "Sht southerly was blowing across the field. Canterbury were almost across in the first few minutes, when they gained the ball from a scrum after a forward rush. McAuliffe worked up a good rush, but Dunshea was held up at their corner flag. .McAuliffe sent Canterbury away again, but Canterbury got no further than the twentyfive, where Wright intercepted and broke through to pass half-way. Canterbury staged another thrust, in which Poison and Mortloek were prominent, but Dunshea s kick past the full-back went into touch. Play swung back to Canterbury s twentyfive, and Barry, McXeile, Fraser and Smith headed a rush which ended with Barry catching Eathorne in possession and carrying him across the line. Q^ by P ut " el " lington on attack by sending Ball for a run down the right wing, but Mortloek came across to push the winger into touch. Then from a lineout Ongley secured and pushed bis way across. Lamason converted. Canterbury were penalised shortly afterwards, and' Lamason added three more points. Barry and Wells burst through from past half-way, beat the Canterbury full-back, and Barry scored. Lamason s kick missed. Good work by the Canterbury forwards took play into t.he Wellington twenty-nve, from the lineout MeAuliffe secured the ball and passed to McPhail. who hurdled over n would-be tackier to score in the corner. Eathorne converted with a splendid kick. Wellington started the second spell brightly with a passing rush which took play to the Canterbury twenty-five. Lilburne short-punted and the return kick was fielded by Wright, who sent Barry away. The Wellington forward forced his way" across witli two men hanging on to him,*but a try was not allowed. Both sets of backs were flinging the ball about freely in the closing stages. Wellington were attacking when play suddenly «wung in the other direction, and Canterbury scored their second try as the result of a sparkling back movement. The b.ill went out to Mortloek. who cut in and passed to Dunshea. who went over in the corner. The kick failed. Wellington were nearly over on two occasions. Ball showing lup in good runs, but the Canterbury defence stood the test and the final whistle blew with the scores: Wellington 11 Canterbury 8

GAMES IN THE PROVINCE.

MORRIXSVILTiB. Finlay Cup (Waikato Sub-union championship): Morrinsville (holders) 35, beat Cambridge (the fifth unsuccessful challengers of the season) 5. Peace Cup.—Matamata (hoJders) 12, beat Manlapoto 11. PAEROA. Vancouver Cup.—Thames Valley Primary Schools 12, beat South Auckland (challengers) 3. Auckland Training College 3, beat Paeroa 0. Netherton Juniors 6, beat West 0. DARGAVILLE. Dargaville (challenger) defaulted to Ruuwat for the Costello Shield. Junior. —Waima defaulted to Kaibu; Tangowahine 6. beat Southern 0. Third Grade Representatives.—Northern Wairoa 17. beat Whaugarei 0, in the southern zone final of the Powell Shield competition. TE KUITI. Waitete 6, beat Piopio 5. Mangapehi 16, beat Hangatiki 3. TAURANGA. Rangataua (Tauranga) 11. beat Walhi High School Old Boys 6. Matakana 7, beat Te Puna 3. Juniors. —Cadets 8. beat Walhi High School Old Boys 0 : Country 13, beat Athletics 3; Jodea 15, beat Mataplhi 12. TUAKAU. Onewhero 9, beat Te Kohanga 8. White Star 15, beat Patutnahoe 0. Pukekawa won by default from Old Boye, and Bombay won by default from Tuakau. Juniors.—Tuakau 6, beat Bombay 3. This concluded the amalgamated subunion's competitions. The senior competition has been won by White Star, with 21 points, followed by Onewhero 20, Te Kohanga 20, Bombay 17, Patumahoe 15, Old Boys io. Tukekawa 6, Tuakau 4. Bombay, 22 points, win the junior competition, then follow Tuakau 10, Te Kohanga 16, White Star 13, Onewhero 12, Old Boys 11, and Patumahoe 3. WHAKATANE. For the Hurunui Shield Kangitalki 9, beat Whakatane 3.

THAMES. Thames 17, beat Hauraki Plains 0. Johnston Cnp Challenge.-Thames 11, beat Hauraki Plains 8. Third Grade.—Thames 3, beat Hauraki PUKEKOHE. Juniors—White Star beat Patwnahoe by default fold Boys beat Pukekawa by dePukekohe 3. Dean Shield (under » st 71b and under 11 :—Pukekohe 3 beat & MANUKAU. Drury 16. beat Clevedon 5. Ararimu 3, beat Karaka 0. Hunua beat Papakura by default. WHANGAREI. City 10, beat Hikurangi 6. Old Bovs 19, beat Hornhora 5. Manpakahia beat Karamea by default Junior.— Hikurangi 11, beat Old Boys 0, Citv 0, beat Horahora 3. . Primary Schools.— Whangarei 8, beat Northern Wairoa 0.

GAMES IN THE SOUTH.

NEW I'JAMOUTH. Old Boys 19, beat United Old Boys 11. HASTINGS. Technical Old Boys 15. beat Havelock NO p!?ates 7, beat Hastings Old Boys 0. OAMARU. North Otago 14. beat Southland Eastern Districts 9. CHRISTCHURCH. Albion 11, beat Old Boys 0. NAPIER. Celtic 15, beat Mnrist 11. Napier Old Boys 14, boat SI.A.C. J. Hastings 37, beat Eskview 6. TIMARD. Canterbury 23, beat Mackenzie SubUn \Vaimate Sub-union 19, beat South Canterbury C.