RUGBY OPENING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 96, 26 April 1938, Page 19

RUGBY OPENING.

SOME FAST PLAY.

TRY-OUT FOR CLUBS.

PONSONBY START WELL.

I'romiee of some sparkling Rugby within a lew weeks' time was given when the waeon opened on Saturday with a Club Way at Eilcu Park. Taken all round, play was ragped, but there were occasional urr, maud to give coaches an opportunity !., J 1 ? out l;'n.ve™ aiming for senior "tutue, they wore payed in light-hearted UH aboui"fl.Jr l ° f UIC baCke thleW the

l> the mam jamos at Eden Park many l'....\er S were replaced at half-time \ steady drizzle fell all the afternoon making t)l0 , „ and n on,l in' " *?H °' this the often comb ned w«ll. Forward play was bolid -North Shore downed Marist bv K5 Point- to 10 in the early game. and'Pon- !!! nli'V^ , Champion*, beat Grammar Old Boys by 8 points to 6. LITTLE BETWEEN TEAMS. ~c o In the hack lino Boys I,v I ' ons, ," lbv , to "Jfat (Jrammar Old There «-n! \' P t\V S >}" ? ,n ,hv main »' anipiiere was little between the teams, howPver. (iraramar-s pack was a match for its opponents and in a fast forward gam* s.-vernl men stood out from the ruck. For )iivP. ,ln,u V f( '« m , B °»d. Ev »" s «n«l ("arson l>la.\eu particularly well with Burke a promoted junior., lowing' form in theHpeS wnrtor . tJranimar pack the hardest iSS&tT" I7 e C - Brown - A. Don and Ixx-k----jnston. Brown and Don led all the Grammar rushes and Brown several times thnlifV/k """ lhe u s'>t inumi with the I.all at his toe to set liis back line in

rlivV i ll,,onb - 1 " superiority iu the back at\lb)on. D. Solomon was the pivot of the attack and the Grammar inside backs found him a hard man to stop. His quick eye for the gap and his faculty for appearing suddenly with the ball kept his markers on their toes throughout the match. Other Ponsonby backs to show form were Grant, a recruit from Norrhcote. who played equally well on attack and f«it e 2«»ii Np ' su "' ■*;"<> Played steadily at lull-back, and Donaldson. Freakes proved the .most promising of ■ rammars new players. Promoted from last season's third grade team, he was Beaten occasionally by Solomon, but reA U ii UC D, +h ? com r> n «n«nt by slipping past his All Black marker three times, twice turning defence into spectacular attack, lurner, another third grade player, made several bright openings and fielded the greasy ball well. Flett was a strong wing Kins;, who played full-back in the second spell, will ibo sadly missed if he decides not to play this season. Blanchlfield, -who filled the position in the first half, -was cool and steady, but twice missed the line when making important defensive kicks He fie\ded and tackled well. The winners , points came from tries by D. Solomon and Kerr-Taylor. tirant converted Solomons try. Turner kicked a penalty for Grammar and Freakes sjcored a spectacular try after breaking away on his own line and combining with Spittal the wing, to carry play the full length o< the field.