RUGBY LEAGUE

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25273, 27 August 1947, Page 4

RUGBY LEAGUE

WEST COAST TOURING TEAM’S MATCH

DRAWN GAME AT NEW PLYMOUTH “ The Press ” Special Service NEW PLYMOUTH, August 26. The muring West Coast Rugby League team drew 3-all with Taranaki in a representative match played at New Plymouth to-day. Played in the rain on a muddy field, the match was wholly a forward tussle, and the West Coast backs were not given a chance to show the form they displayed in the first two matches of the tour. The West Coast forwards were outplayed by an aggressive Taranaki pack, and Taranaki was unlucky not to win. Each side scored an unconverted try. Territorially, the honours were fairly evenly divided. Taranaki obtained a bigger share of the ball from scrums.

Taranaki had its first chance when J. Broughton attempted a penalty goal inside West Coast’s twenty-five, about 10 yards in-field. The ball just missed. A few minutes later. Coll (West Coast hooker) attempted a penalty from a similar position in Taranaki’s twenty-five, the ball passing beneath the crossbar. Taranaki was in obvious trouble when West Coast’s second five-eighths, Forrest, made a spectacular run down the right flank with the ball before he was intercepted a few yards from Taranaki’s line by the full-back, J. Broughton. Forrest passed in-field, and for a moment it seemed there was no one to take it; but A. O’Donnell (West Coast winger) came up fast, gained possession, and dived over for a try. Coll’s kick went wide. Taranaki equalised a few minutes after the resumption of play, when S. Clarke (second five-eighths) accepted a pass from J. Matuku near West Coast’s line, shook off the tackler, and found a gap in the defence to go over for a try. Clarke took the kick himself, and was very unlucky when the ball struck the upright and bounced back. For the next 10 minutes Taranaki made strenuous efforts to put itself in the lead, and the West Coast forwards redoubled their efforts as the spell wore on, but the Taranaki defence held. Mr J. P. Mathews (Greymouth) was referee.