COLLEGE RUGBY TEAMS WELL MATCHED

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 193, 16 August 1941, Page 3 (Supplement)

COLLEGE RUGBY TEAMS WELL MATCHED

Intensely interesting right to the final series of games, this year's S A eni ?r Ru S b y championship of the Auckland secondary schools has been marked by a high standard of play and a remarkable evenness in calibre of the fifteens. The result—a bracket of Takapuna and Auckland Grammars in the leading position—is a fitting ending to tile keenly contested competition, since these teams stood out slightly superior to the others, and drew with each other in hard struggles ? ach time they met. Seeing that it is the first time, however, that the North Shore School has won championship honours, it is perhaps unfortunate not to have the chance ot a final deciding game. The youngest and smallest of the trrammar Schools, Takapuna fielded an outstanding team this year. The pack was solid and ably led by M foreman, whose keen play in the a great help to his side. All i ? e *w T ,a ka Puna backs plaved good roothall to provide the most con«7??rL h ? ck pla - v in the competition. W Wilkms, M. Lees, a speedy wing, and B Sutcliffe (full-back), who scored 5o of his side's points with his boot, caught the eye most.

L,A uckland Grammar's team was i well up to the standard of former years. D. B. Rope (captain) and Roberts were outstanding in a hardworking pack, while R. Simpson shone amongst the backs for his pace on the wing. Bowden's kicking was also a great asset to this team.

Although its form was not consisent, Sacred Heart was another sound team with a keen pack of forwards. A tower of strength to the side on both attack and defence was S Dunn at first five-eighths; Conrad, behind the scrum, and Gardiner, on the wing, also produced good football.

Mount Albert Grammar was a team which had some off days, but °V ~ olher hand, occasionally played foothall equal to that of the leaders. The forwards were very solid, but a trifle slow in the loose. u h. Carew was undoubtedly the outstanding wing-three-quarter of the competition and was dangerous whenever he got the ball, which was not often enough.

A faltering back line was compensated for by a fine set of forwards in the King's College team. Like several other sides in the competition, King's suffered from injuries and the backs never managed to combine effectively. Every member ot the pack, however, was a toiler in both tight and loose play and deadly on defence. Fisher, Allen and McAlister particularly deserve mention

Technical College was unlucky. (Although not up to the standard of ,the other teams, at the beginning of ■ me season, it improved greatly, and : its bustling forward play nearly upset some of the leading teams ; Row was a handy five-eighths with a good boot, while Crasts, full-back saved his side time and time again with accurate handling and kicking. So much for pats on the back. But there is another side to the picture Not one team in the competition was f^ pt *£ ro P 1 t , he fault of selfishness among the backs. In most cases one of the five-eighths, sometimes the centre persistently held on to the ball, although caught in possession several times, when they had speedv men outside them. Apart from this tendency, which was always present, although more noticeable in some teams than in others, the Ruebv played by all the schools was bright and interesting and augurs well for the future of the sport in the district.