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Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 138, 14 June 1938, Page 17

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RUGBY PROMOTIONS.

TECH. AND TRAINING COLLEGE FOR FIRST DIVISION. OTAHUHU AND 'VARSITY DOWN. Kclegated, protesting, into the second of the two divisions into which the Rugby L nion divided the hist grade competition at the opening of the season, the Technical Old Boys fifteen, clear-cut winners of the second division, will now fulfil the prophecies of their club officials by returning to the first division.

Kclegated at the same time were Training College and College Kilies, who took their demotion philosophically, as they stood bottom on the championship ladder. Now the student side is being returned to the first division with Technical.

College RiHes, although they played senior A grade last year, have tailed along in mediocre fashion with the rest of tic second division sides, and have scored only two championship points. This is surprising, in view of the splendid tackling and solid combination of the side. The team has undoubtedly been out of luck.

There are. however, two sides to the picture. Pride in promotion for Technical and Training College means disappointment iu relegation for two other fifteens*- 1 niversity and Otahuhu. I'niversity have held first division status for many seasons, and it is unlikely that a club with such tradition behind it is likely to remain long in competition with former senior B sides.

Far Otahuhu in the beenest disappointment. Club officials 11)cro attempted for years to lift their senior team into the tirat grade, and succeeded only five years

ago. Now relegation has placed them back with their old rivals, Suburbs, l'arnell, Kden and the other senior B sides. Like University they will make strenuous efforts to regain first division status. Much of Technicals success in fighting back to the first division is due to the work of individual members of the team. Team-work generally has been good, but several men havp been outstanding in the back-line a'.:d in the pack. In the backs, for instance, tin- Bycrley brothers —Keith and Keg have been placing dashing football. Keith was. of course, a representative winger in and I!KV7. but this season his talents seem to have been lost in the depths of the second division. Reg, a bigger, more raw-boned type than his brother, runs in quite a different fashion. \Y%ove his brother takes a long and loping stride. Reg goes hard for tho corner, head down and teeth set. He shows great promise. Other Technical stalwarts have been H. Manning, five-eighths, the veteran of the back-line, whose wise tactics have helped the team a lot: L. Amos, the half ,a fast and enterprising player; C. Tucker, a policeman, who leads the pack; and Johnson and Rei. two burly forwards whose bnllocking tactics have proved successful all the season. Training College have been well led by Floskins. the centre, whose swerving run has brought, many tries. The team is probably the best-trained in the senior competition. All the players keop at the peak of physical fitness. One of the most consistent players seems to be the fullback. Clark, who tackles well and kicks accurately. A feature of the main game at Eden Pari? on Saturday was the clean passing by both the Grammar and Grafton fifteens tinder sticky conditions. Both Swain and Arkle, the half-backs, set high standards; their passes from the base of the scrum were excellent. At North Shore, too. the halves played well. Cato had the heavy Marist pack on top of him all the time, but sent out long, accurate nrisscs without wasting time. The SlioreMarist game became very willing in the final stages, when Hartnett (Shore) and Bond (Miristl were carried off. The elevation of Training College is subject to a confirming resolution to be n-issed at the usual merlin? of the Rugbv Union to-morrow night. The student side scored J2fi points and Talcapuna 02. Points against. Vicin were 56 in both cases.