RUGBY FOOTBALL

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21858, 11 August 1936, Page 15

RUGBY FOOTBALL

CANTERBURY BEATS AUCKLAND FAST AND OPEN PLAY AT LANCASTER PARK HOME REARGUARD SUPERIOR

The Canterbury representative Rugby team showed good form in its. first home engagement of 1 the season at Lancaster Park yesterday, beating the Auckland touring side by 24 points to 15 in a fast and often brilliant game. The home backs were,. as a combination, superior to their opponents, but they saw less of the ball and Consequently had fewer chances. The hand-to-hand passing rushes of the Auckland forwards, often in combination with their backs, constantly spelt danger for Canterbury, but apart from one or two lapses the home team’s defence was equal to the task.

* Auckland took the field without two of its best men. B. Killeen (fiveeighths) and T. (forward) , who have been included in the North Islarid team, were compelled to return early to their home city. The visitors, no doubt, must have been a little travel-worn after their tour in south, but there was no lack of fire and dash in their play, and their form did not belie their excellent record for the . present season. There was a crowd of about 9000 at Lancaster Park, and the weather was perfect. The ground was firm in spite of the snowfall and rain of the last week.

Although the play was not always up to the highest standard, it was never dull and many of the movements, not confined to those which ; brought scores, were superb. Canterbury scored five tries, three of \yhich were converted, and one penalty goal, to Auckland’s three converted tries.Canterbury won the match in the first few minutes of the game. The home team opened with two magnificent passing rushes, and from one of these came a converted try. Another try shortly after gave the home side an eight-point lead, and although Auckland for the remainder of the game made heroic efforts to overhaul their opponents Canterbury invariably re- ; piled . with movements just as effective. ' Encouraging Form Shown Auckland has challenged for the Ranfurly Shield and failed; Canterbury still has its chance to come. Yesterday's match was expected to provide some indication of how Canterbury will fare against the champion province. The Canterbury representative team has had few chances so far of working up combination, but its snowing yesterday was at least encourHadley’s efficient hooking made it inevitable that the Auckland backs should have the lion’s share of the ball, but Burke, in the tecond speh. won a creditable number of scrums for Canterbury. He will not have so formidable an opponent as Hadley, of course, in future games, and the Canterbury scrummaging is sufficiently sound to ensure reasonable possession. Possession, undoubtedly, will be important,. for-Cahterbory’3>. strength- appears to. lie, once again, in'the backs. The forwards are probably better than they have been for several seasons, but this seems to be a year of outstanding provincial forward sides. Canterbury’s forwards were outplayed in the mud at Greymouth and they were excelled in at least some departments of the game yesterday.

Rankin Outstanding

The Auckland men not only won the majority of the scrums but they gained possession from a number of’ the line-outs. In close rucking, however, Canterbury held an advantage, and the short passing of the Auckland forwards was matcned by the fine loose dribbling rushes of the red-and-olack vanguard, Manchester, All Black captain last year, was a tine leader, and he showed that he is sail one of the best forwards in New Zealand. His con ..oiled dribbling led to one try and he score another after participating in a great passing rush. For brilliant worm in the loose, however, Rankin was again unsurpassed, and he clearly outplayed his vis-a-vis, Frank Solomon, the former All Black, in a battle which became undisguisedly a wing-forward tussle as the game progressed. In the second spell Rankin and Solomon put the ball in and seldom went down in the scrums. Rankin’s try was one of the highlights of the maten. Mortlock started a surprise thrust which • found Rankin with only D. Solomon to beat. Running close to the touchline he fended his opponent off several times in his dash to the corner. Not content with that, Rankin continued his run round to the back of the goal-posts, still fending off Solomon and another tackier who made a belated attempt to save the score. Rankin received an

ovation for that effort, but throughout the game his play was of the first class. Where Auckland Excelled

Canterbury’s front-row men, Hattersley* Burke, and Mahoney, were always in the thick of the fray. Milliken was

Qne„ol .the best_fprwards .on the .field end Sweeney, more subdued than usual in the loose, was a solid worker, Scandrett, the former West ‘Coast representative, was unlucky in having to retire early in the game, and he was replaced by N. J. McPhail, who made a good showing in his first representative match. . ■ „ Little fault could be found with the play of the Auckland forwards. The published weights of the teams gave Canterbury a slight weight advantage in the scrum, but the Auckland men looked heavier arid certainly they applied their weight well. They excelled in line-out nlay, Cooper, Butler, and August feeding their half-back consistently. As expected, Hadley’s hooking was one of Canterbury’s most difficult problems. The Auckland pack’s tearing rushes in the loose were probably the team’s most effective method of attack. The backs used the in-pass to their forwards judiciously, and frequently this change in the direction of attack caught the defence on the wrong foot. Only forward passes and mishandling by the Auckland forwards saved Canterbury from some awkward situations. Anderson was one of the best of Auckland’s forwards in the loose, and Pepper and Brown, Hadley’s colleagues in the front row, did their full share of work in this department as well as in the tight. Home Backs Impressive The Canterbury backs handled crisply and cleanly throughout,. and it was only the extremely solid Auckland defence against the passing rashes that kept the score down. Canterbury's back line was very different from that which nlayed the West Coast, only the five-eighths, Hooper and Mortlock, retaining their positions. McAuliffe played an excellent game at half-back, being quick to turn to account the least opportunity for initiatirig an attack. Hooper made some good openings, although inclined to attempt too much on his own, and he combined well with Mortlock and C. H. McPhail. Hart was as elusive as ever, and Eathorne. nlaying his first ame for the province as a winge’ created an extremely favourable impression. He showed a grand turn of speed in scoring a determined try and his defence against the North Island representative, Dick, was faultless. Eathorne, indeed, outplayed Dick, who is regarded as one of the stars of the Auckland team.

Hart’s try was a splendid piece of team-work with C. H. McPhail. forking on the blind-side from half-way, the two players exchanged passes four times in an electrifying dash down the line. Hart finally racing over for a score at the corner.

Behrns, at full-back, played an out--.tanding game for Canterbury. He handled faultlessly and made some great saves from the toes of the racing Auckland forwards. His line-kicking, too, was long and accurate. In kicking he was in no way inferior to Bush, one of the strongest kickers in New Zealand, and his all-round play was definitely of a higher standard. Half-back’s Brilliant Try The Auckland backs impressed mostly in their work close to the scrum. Frankham was a lively and enterprising half-back, and Curtayne gave the Auckland, back line its greatest thrust. D. Solomon was disappointing. Fletcher, at centre, did all that was required of him, both on attack and defence, but. he was seldom able to improve the position for his wings. Dick and Byerlsy, who had no real chances of scoring. Bush, at full-back, was safe, although he has obviously lost his old speed. Bush frequently came into the three-quarters’ line /o make an extra man, and from one such excursion he scored an excellent try. Frankham’s try was a remarkable effort. He received the ball from a scrum close to the Canterbury line, and, after an interchange of passes with his forwards, dived through the Canterbury forwards as they were breaking up. He was tackled on the line, but wrenched . himself cigar and rolled over, for .3 try, which was thoroughly deserved and warmly applauded. : The teams were as follows:

Canterbury

Full-back: I. L. Behrns (12st 41b)

Three-quarters: G. F. Hart (12st 31b), C. H. McPhail (list 101b), G. B. Eathorne (list 41b).

Five-eighths: K. S. Mortlock (12st 8:b), J. A. Hooper (lOst 61b). Half-back: J. J. McAuliffe (list 81b) Forwards (3-4-1): J. Mahoney (13st 121b;, R. Burke (12st 131b), O. Hattersley (14st 21b), M. Scandrett (13$t 7Jb), H. Milliken <Tsst), W. Sweeney (14st 91b), J. B. Manchester (14st 51b), J, G. Rankin (12st 121b;. Auckland . Full-back: R. G. Bush (14st 71b). Three-quarters: K. Byerlev (list 31b), A. Fletcher (12st 61b), J. Dick (list 101b). Five-eighths: D. Solomon (12st 01b), L. Curtayne (list 81b). Half-back: J. R, Frankham (list). Forwards (3-4-1): A. Brown (12st 121b), W. Hadley (12st 51b), C. Pepper (12st 121b>; J. August (14st 91b), J. Butler (14st), W. Cooper (14st 71b), R. Anderson (13st 81b); F. Solomon (15st 61b). . The Scoring Movements Canterbury kicked off from the south end of the ground, and the backs immediately raced away to the Auckland twenty-five. A blind-side movement saw Eathorne burst through Dick’s tackle, to score at the corner. McAuliffe kicked a great goal. Canterbury 5, Auckland 0. Auckland attacked briefly after "a penalty, but Behrns saved from the feet of the forwards. Another passing •ush along the Canterbury chain, and from Hart in again to Mortlock, ended in Burke dribbling over the line, but a force-down resulted. Manchester burst away from a ruck at half-way, with the ball at toe, well supported by Burke, Sweeney, and Rankin. The ball bounced well for Rankin, who handed on to Milliken, who scored a fine try. McAuliffe missed a much easier kick this time. Canterbury 8, Auckland 0. N. J. McPhail replaced Scandrett, and Auckland attacked strongly. Curtayne broke through, and handed on to D. Solomon, Cooper, and Anderson, the last-mentioned scoring under the posts. Bush converted. Canterbury 8, Auckland 5.

Then came_ Rankin’s solo try, which McAuliffe improved.

Canterbury 13, Auckland 5.

Auckland attacked strongly again, but mishandling spoilt one fine rush. Then Bush came into the three-quar-ters’ line, to score his try. He converted easily. Half-time scores:- — Canterbury 13, Auckland 10. From a penalty on the twenty-five, near the touch-line, McAuliffe kicked another great goal. Hart’s try soon after increased the lead. Canterbury 19, Auckland 10. Bush missed an easy penalty before Frankharri got across for his fine try. Bush goaled.

Canterbury 19, Auckland 15.

Rankin followed up fast, to catch Bush in possession, and McAuliffe quickly sent Mortlock and Manchester away in a run, which ended in the latter scoring. McAuliffe converted. Manchester, get a. knock on his injured ribs in the effort, but before Cooper could take the field time was called, with the scores:— .

Canterbury 24, Auckland 15. Mr S. Hollander was referee.

INTER-SCHOOL MATCHES

RANGIORA BEATS ST. BEDE’S

COLLEGE

Rangicra High School’s first football team beat St. Bede’s College’s second team by 17 points to 0, in the annual match between the schools, at Rangiora yesterday. St. Bede’s had a much heavier team than Rangiora, but the home backs were faster and handled the ball better. D. Smith scored and converted a try and kicked a penalty goal. P. Cunningham scored two tries and J. Whiten one;

In a match between Rangiora’s second team and St. Bede’s third, Rangiora won by 12 points to 11. Tries were scored for Rangiora by I. Ferguson, J. Brightling and W. Green, and S. Montgomery kicked a penalty goal. For St. Bede’s, E. Burke scored and converted a try and tries were gained by D. McCormack and J. R. McCarthy. PRIMARY SCHOOL GAME In a primary school Rugby match on the south ground In the light-weight division yesterday afternoon, Waimairi beat Wharenui by 6 points to 3. Mr J. Thwaites was the referee. REFEREES’ ASSOCIATION GENERAL MEETING HELD

Last evening, a general meeting of the Canterbury Rugby Football Re-

ferees’ Association was held in the Rugby Union’s rooms, when Dr. D. McK. Dickson presided over an attendance of 30 members.

It was decided to forward a letter of sympathy to Mr A. E. McPhail in the death of his wife.

The Wellington Rugby Referees’ Association wrote that it would be impossible for it to sind a team to Christchurch this year, and Undertaking to reconsider the matter next season.

It was decided to purge the association’s roll of members.

It was stated that, in a scrummage, the non-offending side had the right to put the ball into the scrum. Where neither side was to blame, the ball should be given to the defending side.

HURUNUI SUB-UNION REPRESENTATIVE TEAM CHOSEN The following have been selected to represent Hurunui in the Southbrldge Shield match against North Canterbury at Waiau on Saturday, commencing at 2.45 p.ni.:—Full-back, J. Crothall (Culverden); three-quarters, A. McMillan (Culverden), N. McClelland (Culverden) (captain), R. Collyns (Kaikoura); five-eighths, G. Arps (Culverden), J. Davison (Kaikoura): halfback, C. Saundercock (Walkari), forwards, B. Marsden (United), T. McDonald (Kaikoura), J. Rainey (Kaikoura), L. Quigley (United). M. Rogers (Waiau), E. Rutherford (United), T. Latter (Waiau). F. ForI’ester (United) Emergencies—Backs, F. Shadbolt (United), G. Pratt (Kaikoura); forwards, H. Wilson (Cheviot), M. McDonald (Waiau). On S-tu-div Hurunui beat a Peninsula team at Culverden by 20 points to 3. Hurunui retains the Delargey Shield.