FINAL LEAGUE TEST.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 194, 17 August 1936, Page 13

FINAL LEAGUE TEST.

ENGLAND WIN. N.Z, DISAPPOINTING,

BACK DIVISION FAILS. f ( It has been very complimentary for the * English Ruby League tourists to s?ay that ' the standard of the game had improved in New Zealand, but the Test matches played, with England this season have supplied eloquent evidence that the New Zealand standard has to be improved con- | siderably before there is a charcc of winning a rubber against the best selection 1 of the home country. After New Zea- < land's resolute showing In the first Test 1 there were high hopes of the Dominion 1 team rising to the occasion on Saturday, ; but they were an inferior side on the day, and the full run of the pla.v. It was a fast game and a hard game, but England's superiority was never really seriously threatened, and the score with a wide margin in the tourists' favour was a very fair indication of the run of the play 1 Once again the New Zealand forwards although they could not match England 111 * set serums, gave a great exhibition in the ! loose play, they carried most of the burden ' of the day, as the New Zealand backs were very disappointing, ami as an attacking force got nowhere. Types of Play. ' Opinions may vary as to the strength of : the 193« English team, but they revealed : in their matches here a good all-round : standard, and had in their ranks several players who would compare worthily with the best that hatl come this way. As to the English type of play there are also varied opinions. It is of a grim, relentless desperately hard tackling tvpe, and the underlying motive is 10 win, not to provide spectacular entertainment for the spectators. In its grimness their play has been characteristic of the exhibitions given" Inother English teams in the past, but they do play League football all the way anil all the time. They have brought covering defence, spotting and exploitation of the offside rule down to the finest of arts and to such a point that with tliem or against them there is little chance of the lively open back play which arouses enthusiasm' The Englishmen play their own game in their own way, they open up the play or close it up as the occasion suits or demands, and apparently the only counterpoise is to meet them with similar tactics. Other Memories. Style for style, the Australian exposition of the League code has found most favour in New Zealand, and there are still sunny memories of the brilliant expositions given in Auckland by New South Wales and Queensland teams, memories which linger, exhibitions of combinative play which enthralled,' and were hailed as a mode of play for the Dominion to copy and build upon. And the spirit of those games was something that counted. It was light, carefree and friendly, so different to the tenseness which creeps into matches : with England, with the hardness of endeavour which must always be bred in 1 players who are better remunerated in ■ their club games in England when they { win a match as compared with a loss or ; a draw. Playing Results. In playing results the English League team of 1936 can look back to a long and arduous tour with a feeling of satisfaction as far as playing results go and financial return. In Australia they won the rubber in the Test series; in New Zealand they won the eight matches they played. lujury took heavy toll ou the team before they . reached New Zealand, with the result that New Zealanders did not see some of their stars in action. There were times when they had to mix forwards with their backs to field a thirteen, but adaptability was certainly a feature, and in the Dominion 1 they kept a winning sequence. Saturday's match, and the previous Test also, showed that with a leaven of the : South Island forwards in New Zealand is fairly strong forward, but there is at the moment a lack of the heady, incisive inside back type. Pour years ago New Zealand : had a Brisbane-Cooke combination in the five-eighths line. It is evident that successors to that talented pair have yet to be found. Starved Wings. 'Dempsey came through the ordeal well at full-back ,und was never seriously at fault. The New Zealand wings had a starvation day as far as scoring chances went, and Minciiam scarcely saw the ball, except' in: the distance'.' Kay and' Trevatlian were completely out-manoeuvred by the audacity and surprise tactics of the English halves, and on - the rare occasions that they, got to attack the quick covering defence was too good for them. Powell played resolutely at half-back, and gave his best. l'ickraug was again the outstanding New Zealand forward, and had good support from Calder, _ McNeight and Watene, with the latter a Valuable asset to his side as a goal-kicker. The English half-backs again took the honours of the_ English back play with delightful combination and clever variation of method to get their side the advantage. . Field, Arkwright and Troup stood out in the English forwards. Listless Periods. The English showed evidence on occasions that it was an end-of-tlie-tour match, and there were occasional listless periods, but when the New Zealanders, midway in the second half, begau to threaten their lead, they immediately rallied, to widen the points margin that they held. Some of their passing at times was haphazard, but the chances that went then could not be grasped by their opponents. Atter the match some of the English players freely discussed the New Zealand part of the tour, and the players who were here four years ago were quite unanimous in declaring that they had met no player of the Cooke standard. . Nor did they think that some of the best New Zealand players met them in the Test games. They, were inclined to pick Glover and Kerr as the best full-backs they met on the tour, Haslam as the best threequarter and Brimble as the best five-eighth. \'et not one of those players got a game for his province. Pickrang was their unahimous selection as the best New Zealand forward, although they thought highly of Watene. Value of Possession. J. Brough, the English captain, said that with good eoaching New Zealand should be able to field a first-class side, but they had. yet to learn the value of positional l'lay, and the need of keeping possession of the ball as much as possible. He played for England in Rugby Union football in 1924, and considered that his playing career is near its end. England's opening score was a fine penalty goal by Eisman from 35 yards out. Watene levelled the score for New Zealand with a penalty goal. Watkins made England's next score possible by a run from the scrum, and he then inpassed to Arkwright as the latter broke away from the scrum. Risman converted. England's following score came from a typical passing movement -which worked diagonally across the New Zealand twentyfive. A cut-in by Jenkins made it certain for success provided that the other backs in turn did their part. The following passing was crisp, and in the end the speedy Edwards on the wing had his chance to dash over at the flag. Double-figure Lead. 4.rkwright and Miller combined like a pair of backs to send the latter over, and another good effort by Risman gave England a lead of 15 points to i at half-time. In a quick run of scoring >in the second half New Zealand wiped out nine points of the leeway, two penalty conversions by Watene and a good try by Cootes, which Wateue converted. . TT , When England drew away again Hudson ran strongly on the wing to go over, and the übiquitous Arkwright also Sot ° v ' e n r - One conversion by Risman made the final score i>n England -r* New Zealand THE CURTAIN-RAISERS. The curtain-raisers to the big game were provided by the Ngaruawahia and City and the Ellerslie and Manukau third grade teams. In the first game victory rested -with Ngaruawahia by 17 points to lei, while in the second match a win was ' registered by Ellerslie by 6 points to 3. VISITORS LEAVE. Immediately after the match the English team joined the liner Akaioa, which sailed at 5.30 for England. In little over a month's time most of the players will be engaged in club matches in England. There was a large crowd at the wharf, including officials of the New Zea and Rugby League Council and Auckland Rugby League to see them oft. Cheeis were exchanged as the Akaroa pulled out from Her berth.

PLAYER LEAVES FIELD,

An incident in the dying stages of . the Test match was Jenkins, 'the English stand-off half, leaving the field. At the moment play was at the English end. The spectators saw the referee, Mr.' 11. Wctherill, point at Jenkins, and then lie walked off. Seen after the match, Mr. Wetherill said that owing to a ruling given by the New Zealand Rugby League Council he could not make any statement. ( Other officials also had no comment to make. GIFTS TO VISITORS. Just before the match Mr. E. Stall- I ■worthy, on behalf of the Xew Zealand ! Council, presented J. Brough, the Eng-! lish team's captain, and members of the • team, with Xew Zealand fern badges, I in commemoration of the tour. EIGHT MATCHES WON. The visitors won each of their eight matches on their Xew Zealand tour. They scored 212 points, and had only oG points ' registered against them. Details are as follow: — Auckland EtngTand 22 Auckland .. Hi Wellington England 4S Wellington . . S St. Island England 17 South Island 3 Taranaki England 35 Taranaki . . 4 St. Auck. England 21 Stli. Auckland ti N.Z. England 10 New Zealand S Northland England 34 Northland ... . 0 N.Z. England' 23 Now Zealand 11 GRADE GAMES. THIRD GRADE. Mount Albert 2, drew with Green Lane 2. PRIMARY SCHOOLS. SENIORS. Ponsonby 13, beat Devonport 7. Richmond "J, beat Mount Albert 5. INTERMEDIATE. Marist 8, beat Green Lane 3. Richmond 31, beat Nortlicote 3. Otaliuhu 12, beat Avondale 2. JUNIORS. Ponsonby 3, beat Devonport 0. Ellerslie 0, drew with Manukau 0. GAMES IN THE SOUTH. NAPIER. Maraina 37, beat Petane 3. MAYORAL HOSPITALITY RECOGNISED. At a meeting of the council of the New Zealand Rugby League, on the motion of the president, Mr. C. A. Snedden, it was decided to place on record high appreciation of the gesture of t'.ie Mayor of Auckland, Mr. Ernest Da vies, at giving a sportsmen's dinner In honour of tlie British team. In supporting the minute, which is to he reported to the English Council, members mentioned that the team managers and players were delighted with this spontaneous tribute to the game.