TARANAKI ALMOST PULLS RUGBY GAME OUT OF THE FIRE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 205, 30 August 1941, Page 5 (Supplement)

TARANAKI ALMOST PULLS RUGBY GAME OUT OF THE FIRE

/"•OMING with a rattle at the finish, Taranaki representatives almost snatched the game out of the fire against the stronger Auckland team at New Plymouth last Saturday, but a pass went forward and Auckland won .13—9, after a game that was always exciting.

For a wartime game the football was really good, states the Taranaki Daily News, the Auckland backs trying some bright movements, while the Taranaki pack was always on the move. It was the closeness of the scores, however, particularly in the last 10 minutes when it seemed that Taranaki might confound the spectators who were leaving that made the game memorable.

Auckland was lucky to win, as Taranaki was unlucky not to score that near-try, but the visitors were the better team, just about holding their own in the forwards and having the advantage in the backs. Though Taranaki produced the best movements of the game, Auckland was always the more polished and dangerous side until the dj'ing stages. Subtle Scheme of Attack The Auckland backs used many tricks, some of them rare, in their efforts to pierce a generally rock-like defence.' Scissors passing was varied by a feinted scissors pass which made a Taranaki back tackle a man who seemed to have the ball but had actually not received it from another back, who had gone out with it to join up with the rest of the chain. Taranaki was lucky that time and Auckland did not score. On another occasion it was an Auckland man who was fooled, being so surprised when he received a scissors pass on defence that he was forced to make a poor clearance.

Brady was the king pin of the Auckland attack and took a lot of watching. Tetzlaff was efficient and clever, and Boggs on the wing was most elusive. Kingstone was steady at full-back and his coolness and neat handling saved Auckland often when the Taranaki forwards, appeared certain to cap a powerful drive with a try.

The visiting pack played bright football in the loose and their scrummaging was sound. Mills played a fine game in the open and was prominent in several clever passing rushes by the big, fast northerners. He covered up a lot on defence. Hull and Ryan also shone In the loose, and Johnson, as well as hooking cleanly, did a man's work in the rucks. Where the Auckland forwards had to admit Taranaki superiority was in following up the ball like one man. Worthy Opponent For Tetzlaff McCullum was the star of the Taranaki backs. He fed his men with long, accurate passes, held up the Auckland forwards staunchly, and usually turned up in the place that he was wanted most. On the day, he lost nothing by comparison with Tetzlaff. Auckland's clever half.

Murray (five-eighth) played another good game. His handling was excellent, his tricky runs often had Auckland in trouble and, like McCullum, he was in everything, particularly when he was wanted most. C. Sullivan, too, played well, doing some useful work on defence. He showed surprising pace on one or two occasions in getting back to save. He found Boggs a tricky man to mark, but honours were about even between the.n. Cartwright (centre) often seemed dangerous, but the ball was usually a little slow in getting to him. In patches Brown (the other five-eighth) showed some of his best form, one diagonal run to open up play being spectacular and effective. Neither Broughton (full-back) nor Hayman (wing three-quarter) was at his best.