RUGBY CONFIDENCE IS RESTORED

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 191, 15 August 1939, Page 15

RUGBY CONFIDENCE IS RESTORED

Improvement In Auckland Forwards —The Bay Was Not At Full Strength — Bowman And His Offside Tactics.

AUCKLAND'S defeat of t\ I ffiwke's Bay after the setback at Whangarei will do much to restore confidence, and interest, in the remaining representative fixtures of the season. It must not be forgotten that the visitors were not at their full strength; they were without the services of D. Dfdton, E. S. Jackson and Tori Reid, all of whom were in the Now Zealand pack against the Springboks. But the display of the Auckland forwards was an improvement, and they battled it out in the mud with a doggedness that augurs well for the future K'imes. Outstanding in the heavy work were W. N. Carson and R. K. Hull, but it seemed a wellbalanced pack with the new front row excelling. till. plm.v o Krnrrk tfolmnon. The "Stair ,, i-rilM-iH., the- elector* action ,„ |, r i, w i, 1K "'" Ixi'-k "'to l-he side on the ground that !■■■ U.M I.*, imlin.-d to rovinu tactics and to l-1.i.% Ihe him, e l,ark Kame, whereas fhe •'■l'-niler, 1 '"! ' l 'Pi' , ' ,, ! iWt - f """»vir.K and " ' ""'■■•* I'."k. Ihe criticism u a.« made. •""I JUHII.N so. on 5.,1,„,,„„■„ ,„.,■!,„■„,„„„.« "! '" '"■'}"> My of the chili u.iiiH-N he has I','- 14, '' '" ' lll * xotiKon. and hiKt. nUi for '•''■" •"■•tl.T. On 5.,,,i,|., y heVh.-wed'that h,N''.'.'»!!'',nd'ri' , ''r li "' '" ■'"' '■'"' , '"' , l f^; 1 . ,1 »"'l< Hi" i:-M.-raUi"r, l ,nil W hnn.|iine ;,1 " "v " >';'« '"■V-μ- I „ disputed. «•"« -'I*" M-ve.iled. mi.l he did not rnerdn tin- rule oi .in.,.-, mm link with i-|u. bat U Hill it niiiil'i he futile tn coiiteml that his pi.iv h.in not slowed up.

Wliptlicr A. \V. Bouman \vn e justly iM'lnined l.v tho "Star" a~s the game's forward is a mntter of hoitip onnlinveiny. No member of cither pack Wii« able to appear so ei insistent ly at the lie,ul of tlic i iishcM ami dominate play so thoroughly, lint the \>\a Hawke's Bay man ha-v lieen criticised for hi* habit of getting olfwiili" in al't.ernptinir tn nail the opposing hiiir-l'.ii-k. On Saturday Buwnuin was peu-ilini'il i-iiii.-il:iul Is, and from one- of his in:"i iiiu.-meniH ll,lie kicked a penalty. Am ' ' ilid wmi by 11 points, so iliat this may I" , used ,is an .iriruinent that Bowman los-i i'lio jtaine for Hawke'n Bay. It. is contended that on a dry day If.lie would have landed several more penalties from Bowman's infringements. hut ajainst. thin may be placed the aitrumeiit. that on iv dry day McGrory, trail if in 1.1 in Auckland ncriim. would tvert have hold the bnll. it wa« this cunning move by I'lio Ar.iiist man who tra,piied th« ball in the lvaek of the scrum that, caught Bi|wninn off Imk aiianl. When Auckland were badly rallied on their own goal line MVO-rorv, realiwiuii that, his backs would lie hnndica.pped attempting to haindle tho (rreasy ball, trapped it in the ecrum, drew T'.ouinnn into t.lie trap and gave Auckland taio much-needed respite of a penalty kick. • • • • ('.'oh* olwervera of tilie (tnme point out tlia.t. Bowman slioine jn«t as much in the tilthfc. iliowevoT. aa he did in the loose. Tt wan noticojible that Bowman drove completely throuirh several rucks—a ponfomiJince that the Auckland forwards, with the exception of Hull, eould not nmulatc. Bowman ih eertainly an oiithtandin(f forward, nnd provided he maintains form, fhoul.l make the All Black side for South Africa fairly easily. Many Aueklandeis who na.w 'him play on Saturday were unaware that hn ha*< played very little fiKitball thin season owing to illness. • • • • ft has also been asked why McLean. Solomon and MoOrory failed to stop Bowman and Butler, the other Hawke's Hay breakaway, from ciimina around the scrum. The answer is that when they attempted to do ho they were penalised by the referee. The ruling is that if the referoo considers breakaways are purposely obstructed, he must penalise their opponents. Solomon once attempted to do so 'by shoving his bulk in the path of Bowman: Bowman bounced off and the referee, Mr. M. W. Thompson, promptly ,-Mvarded il penalty to Hnwke'fl Bay. It was noticeable, incidentally, that Butler, n former Auckland representative, was penalised almost as often as Bowman for (iffsidii play. • • • • Another controversy that the match Man expected to settle—the Hare-Halli-avoll full-back issue—did not Rot much nearer the answer. Hare made few mis■hikrs, but he demonstrated once attain that he has not. the speed of FTalliwell. The Marist man's kicking wiih not as lenirthy and accurate as usual, but it was (.till better than Harwell's. Tils placekiclcinff on the day was ttood. Whenever he hn<] n reasonable chance he dropped •the ball near the posts. His place-kicking makes him .a potential match winner.

Hnrp, however, wai overshadowed by J'ypr, the Hawke'e Bay veteran full-back, whoso lieli I ing and kicking of the eogged, heavy bull was unerring. Dyer line the eamo clearing speed as Halliwell and the eainn facility for sighting the gap that will allow him to set hia back line away. riio great pity is that the game waa not favoiiret! with a dry ground. In that event the big crowd, officially estimated at hotwecn 7000 and 8000, would certainly hnvc seen some nparkiing back play, and probiilily a battle of tactics between the opposinit five-ciulithe. • • • • Oni' rlianyjo ha« been made by the PfliM inr for the Turanakl gnme on Saturflny. Siilnnion i« not available for the trip, mihl Ins place lias been tilled on the siilf ni tin- , si ruin by IJ. M. Whiltans, who plnyi'il tliei-p In the North Auckland game. Othei-H not nvailable were T. H. Pearce, 11. (iiMiit and H. N. Halliwell, who was injured playing <i«ain«t Poverty Bay for tin- Vucklaiid B tram. Tin- team will leave Auckland Oβ Thursday night.