AUCKLAND RUGBY REPS. SUCCESSFUL

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 190, 14 August 1939, Page 13

AUCKLAND RUGBY REPS. SUCCESSFUL

Beat Hawke's Bay On Sloppy Ground —A.

W. Bowman's Splendid Forward Game —

Home Side's Six-point Lead At Spell.

Heavy forward work marked the fourth representative Rugby game of the season between Auckland and Hawke's Bay on Saturday. Played on an extremely heavy main ground at Eden Park, the match produced even play, with two well-matched packs hphting hard for possession. Back play was minimised by the poor state of the ground.

Thanks to the fine hooking of C. S. Pepper, playing in his first representative game this season, and to a lead of six points established in the first spell, Auckland won by 9 points to 6.

Though several forwards distinguished themselves on the day, the relentless display of A. W. Bowman, giant, tow-headed lawke s Bay breakaway, will long remain a memory with the big crowd that saw the game. He never tired throughout a gruelling match.

H.nl till they in ret Hawke's Llav!"

was tin' inthal < niimiciit mi the Auckland represent .it ivcs u lion they iipcncd t'ie »o.ui.ui with a double win against Waik.ilo. Meantime a defeat at Wliangai ci

gave point, to the disastrous tilings portended for the Aucklandcrs at the hands and feet ot the Bay players. The prophec.v. lion evi i, li.is proved to be ulti a-pcssi-uii.-tic. Auckland s win Lo-dav was

"nothing l' • wnte iimnr about,' except tti.it it was ii in Npci ted li.v a considerable pi 1.(Pi.1 t Mill 111 the vet v large crowd tlfat assembled I• »r the in.itch. 1 he honours of the gallic were about even.

At that, both the pi.ty and the result leiL .1 coiisldcl able cleinellt ot doubt about how too gallic would have gone on a dry g.'ound. I'iicie weic tiatures enough m pati net; mi wliii h arguments could be hung ta\miring a win by cither side, but, generally considered, the probabilities on. the respective styles ot play seemed to indicate that a tine day would have given the home team greater chances.

As it was, the game developed into a desperate forward struggle, with the players often anchored in the extensive siush area in the centre oi the ground, and clever work was neutralised time and again by the hazards ot the mud.

()u tlio history ot the lirst spell Auckland's reoigaiiiscl scrum spearhead was a unci ess and ijinslant hooking of the ball was a decided factor in giving the home tentu a 111<111o|)oi\ of the attack. There were chain es made lor mote than the two tries and penult,\ goal b,\ which Auckland led the vislllas, against a try. in that period, lit the second halt the Bay scrum got their share ot the ball and they had more ot the game than had Auckland in the lirst hall.

<ln, especially in the first half, when Aui k-1 la lid .s a t tack was varied and sharp. Hare! •I" 1 a l "t 11 ■ good wi.rk lor 11 jo home side, | but, In; >u(i('i tM 1 in coinpai :son with tho wa,\ in which Dyer gut to the ball anilj handled it. I Auckland's forwards in the first halt, hold to a solid mass play, in which they i heat tho visitors, much to the surprise of ' local observers, hut in the second half' tlicy tended to slack oil. When the ball g<*t away iron) the ruck Carson several tunes showed up m brilliant patches, anil unci! just missed a sensational try. -McLean and Solomon also were aeen dropping back iu support in the second half, when Auckland were hard pressed. I'eannan was the most impressive of the' backs for good constructive ' work, though Brady flashed out now and ■ again spectacularly. Brady was not so sure in his handling as usual, and just when possession of the ball would have , Riven him a great coup a couple of times lie failed to hold the pass. Dick showed ' his big match temperament again by splendid attack and defence when the ball came his way. On the conventional attack the young Bay backs were not really impressive, but there were occasions when they showed themselves great opportunists by snapping into attack trom casual chances. Reid was well looked after by Pearman, and the same applied right along the lino, though on one occasion Xatusch beat Schubert in a fashion which marked him as n dangerous winger on fi drv dav. Auckland's lend ~f six points at half- ' tint# l came as the result of Iries scored hv l'earmnn and Mull anil a penalty by Ilnre. IVarrnan's try was scored after Pickhad drawn Kox infield and made the way open for the live-eighths, who had raced a round to back up. llull .-cored after Pepper had hooked fur Auckland from a scrum on the twenty-live. Play surged toward the ter- . race corner at the Mount Eden end and Hull heat several of his own team mates, in addition to the Hawke's Kay defenders. In a desperate scramble for the ball. Hare's | kick, from a mud patch, was a good one. Just prior to it he had raised hopes by narrowly missing from near half-way. ! At half-time the Ray hail scored three , points only—the quick anticipation of P. Held, the live-eighths, sending him across late In the spell after he had followed a short kick. In the second half Jackson, the Maori forward, kicked a pennlty for Hawke's Buy almost from the same spot that Hare had been successful In the tlrst. I Better Under Conditions. I Praying superior. under the wet con- | dltlons, the Auckland Junior representatives ■ defeated Hawke's Bay in the Eden Park curtain-raiser by 18 points to 8, and clearly demonstrated a higher standard of play. Most unusual try of the game was scored by the ho»:ne full-back Wiles, who seised a chance and dribbled half the length of the field to score. There was no fault to be found with the visiting forwards, but there were weaknesses In the back line. Brldgens and Lee were the pick of the Auckland players. Scorers for Auckland were McKee (2), Keeiler. Bailey, Wiles and Turbott (tries i. Mini and tUiinbley scored for Hawke's Bay. < and Burgess converted one.

It win* with ,1 clean-cut back movement, in which Dick shook oil' a couple of tacklevs and J'earinan came round smartly to finish off. that Auckland stored their tiret try. Their other one wan the result of vigorous forward work finished up with some Miiart opportunist effort. Hawke's liny made a feature all through of bursting away from scrum and lino-out with hall at foot and going hard through the hacks, and their single try was in this way. Several times in the tirst spell they went through, with Bowman leading, to he stopped just short of scoring, while it happened over and over again in the second half. Bowman Outstanding. Bowman was the outstanding forward on the ground, vigorous and tireless. He was Auckland's greatest enemy on the day, both by the »peed with which he came round the scrum and the vigour and talent he showed in getting away from the line-outg. Fraser and Jackson aupported him ably. While he was the star of the Bay team in front, Dyer, at full-back, was their ever-ipresent help in time of trouble. The latter'* display, without being in any way spectacular, wa» a model of soundness in every department. And lie had plenty to -*************