UNFORGETTABLE RUGBY MEMORY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 96, 15 September 1950, Page 7

UNFORGETTABLE RUGBY MEMORY

By Sir Joseph Heenan, Wellington. An unforgettable memory with me will always be the Rugby representative match Auckland v Wellington of 1897. While I cannot remember who won last year, every incident of that game of 53 years ago is a vivid mental movie. Auckland came down heralded by a 13-3 victory over the New Zealand team on its return from its Australian triumphs and a smashing defeat of Taranaki by 23 to 3. Among the Aucklanders was George Smith, whodn Australia had amazed the crowds by his great speed, yfifich resulted in many sensational tries. His mates in the three-quarter line were Billy Harrison and Hughie Absolum, only a little less speedy than Smith himself, who at that time had already begun that phenomenal. career on the track which led to several Australasian and one world’s record over hurdles.

Auckland soon got a try by Harrison. Wellington took the lead with a goal from a mark (which then counted '''four points) before half-time, and in the second spell had the speedy Auckland backs completely bottled up. Those were the days of two wing forwards, and the Wellington pair “Off-side Mac” and Hardcastle, were about the toughest pair in the whole range of the nineties.

With only seven minutes to go, Wellington were still leading 4-3, and hotly attacking in Auckland’s twenty-five. Suddenly «the ball came to Smith from a kick by a Wellington player. Like a flash he was off, dodging, side-stepping and with every stride gathering speed. He crossed the line at the corner, ran round and touched down behind the posts. The crowd was stunned. The try was converted. But more was to come. Wellington were making a do or die attempt to win in the last five minutes. With the Wellington forwards charging down on him, Smith took the ball in his own twenty-five and set sail once more through the Whole Wellington team, this time scoring in the south-east corner. That was the end, Auckland winning by 11-4 in as sensational a game as has ever been played on any ground in New Zealand. It was Wellington’s first defeat in 20 years on its home grounds. The 1897 game * subsequently became historical in another way. It marked Billy Wallace’s first appearance as a representative player at the age of 19, and it was he who kicked the goal that put Wellington in the lead (from the mark, taken by Fred Laws).