Rugby Honours To Army Fifteen

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 205, 30 August 1941, Page 2 (Supplement)

Rugby Honours To Army Fifteen

MANUKAU MISSES AGAIN Comment On The Play: Six Tries To One: Army's Dazzling Inside Backs Public expectations .before the game were generally summed up in the comment ot one onlooker, "The Army'll eat eon; win by 20 points." On q>a.per this looked a sound view. The Army was, in. eff«A. » rich, fruity football salad of p aK from a variety of chubs from the L 1 Al division, while Manukau was a second division combination. Manukau, on the other band, went oi the field full of confidence and with a hunch that it was Manukauis da>. 1 >>■ was explained by a suppoitei. « t 'li,„ Manukau had twice previously got. to tc , final and missed, and >he felt that the , third time was lucky. On j v i grounds he added that anyway it was on > another game to the Army but to >j< in 1 kau it was the club s ibig chance, and tin players were expected to plaj an instill e< game. It was prrwbaibk- wishful thinkintr on the part of the Manukau partisan, but he had the satisfaction of seeinsr his team make a worthv effort that extended the Arm) team to the best football it .had played at ■any period of the season. l'laying with the wind, a steady breeze. ■\rniy was held by tine play on the part of the Manukau forwards to a. score or <5-0, and when it had the wind in the second s°pel! Manukau quickly took the lead. Up to this stage the ganne had | .been bright and lively, characterised by Army winning the scrums and throwing the ball about, to be well stopped and I often driven back to defence by the tine loose forward play of Manukau. At this stage Manukau looked to have a chance, ibut when the Army inside 'backs flashed into a brilliancy never bet or e shown by them, three quick tries which were converted put the issue beyond doubt I for Army. At this stage Manukau was I just outclassed. 1 The ground was heavy, but overhead j conditions were ideal and the 'ball dry. favouring the open style of play adopted . iby Army. Manukau met the Army attack I in fine stylo, both backs and forwards, j and the play was fast and exciting. Angus ;at centre three-quarter did yeoman serj vice for his team by his fast tackling oi I Perriam. but Boryer and Hetherington let i the side down 'by consistent failure to find I the line in their defensive kicking. At this stage, when the Manukau forwards I were troubling the opposition by their bustling plav. Warner was the outstanding Army player in defence. Throughout the unif the Manukau inside backs persisted in kicking, and the three-quarter line never had a chance to show its paces. Possible chances were thus lost. On the Army side IT. F. McLean was the outstanding forward throngh- : out the jraimc. I There were no fireworks, though tlie I game was always ■'iriirht and quick-moving, until well into the second spell. Then the half-back Moss, whose smooth seri vice from the s.-rum was always a feautre, i got Bilkey and Brady away in favourable i positions. and these two five-eighths 1 brought off dazzling penetrations that left the opposition flat-footed. The combinn- ' tion worked three scores, sheer mace and determination on McTnarney's part brought another one. McLean got two tries, one a characteristic clever example 1 of o!viortuni>'m. and the other oniing 1 ,ii ni ;! timelv b'cking-iip of that hard-working | forward Massoy. All the honours of Manukau's credit- ' ,-i-blo showing oil the day went tr> the . team's forwards, fur their excellent work j in t'-o 'oose. and fire covering up. in which I E. Dane was cons"ieu.uis.

! * [AUCKIAND JUN'ORS DEFEAT TAKAPUNA

I The speed and elusiveness of the Auckland » Junior Representative backs in the second sp*U I was the deciding factor in their defeat of Taka- ! puna in an interesting game at Tp.horoto ' The score vas 27—13. after Takapuna had led 10 —9 at half-time. The winners' rar?srunrd was strengthened by the inclusion of N. Witheridge. th« Auckland Colts' half-back. For the winners. Southernwood scored two tries. Carson one and Noakcs one. Coleman k'eked two penalty goals pnd converted three tries. Wickham. Sanders and Smith gained tries for Trkp.puna, two of which were converted by Sutherland. I ★ 'A SCORELESS DRAWN GAME (P. A.) CHRISTCHURCH. this day. The sixtieth representative Rugby match between i Otago and Canterbury, played this afternoon. I resulted in a scoreless draw. Time and ! b«ck movements almost produced a try. but something or other went wrong over the last yard i or two. Though no tries were scored it was a I thrilling match to watch. Otago tried desperated to avenge their defeat at Dunedin earlier I in the season, and were rath°r unluckv to leave the field without victory to their credit.