HANAN SHIELD

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25550, 19 July 1948, Page 5

HANAN SHIELD

DRAWN GAME AT TIMARU SOUTH CANTERBURY RETAINS TROPHY From Our Own Reporter e 4l _ ’ TIMARU, July 17. South Canterbury hopes of lifting the Ranfurly Shield from Otago next Saturday faded perceptibly at Fraser Park tooay when the local representatives were very lucky to hold a vigorous Ashburton ntteen to a draw, 9 points all, in a match for the Hanan Shield. Without their All Black centre three-quarters, M. P. Goddard, who is resting an injury received ’Hatch last week, the Ranfurly Shield challengers turned on a very mediocre performance. Honours in all departments of the game went to Ashburton in the first spell, at the* end of which the score was 9-3 in the visitors’ favour. A big factor in Ashburton s superiority was its diminutive hooker, K. Smith, playing his second season in representative football. By at least three to one he outhooked his opposite number, the ball coming quickly and cleanly to the half-back. The Ashburton pack was ably led by N. McCrea, a tireless worker, who nearly won the game for his team in the last few minutes of the game with a long penalty kick. I. McGarry, W. Maw, and R. Ashworth were also good workers in the Ashburton pack. C. Cromie, the visiting half-back, had plenty of work and was absolutely reliable. The visiting backs showed good combination. Sound if not brilliant was J. Doig at first five-eighths. Paving the way for two tries with a deceptive turn of speed, P. O’Reilly, outside Doig, was in good form, as was H. McGregor at centre. B. Barrett was the more determined of Ashburton’s wings on the day. The veteran Ashburton full-back, C. Bradley, although a trifle slow at times, made no mistakes and faced some tricky positions with calm resolution. South Canterbury’s backs were given few opportunities. In the first half and the early part of the second, flat-footed-ness, mishandling, and lack of penetration nullified their efforts. Towards the end of the match they improved, but they cannot give the selectors a great deal of confidence, and their exhibition must tend to support the view held in some quarters that M. P. Goddard is the backline. J. Taylor, a speedy wing three-quarters, looked to be the most likely back. J. Goddard was sound at full-back, but his kicking was not up to his usual standard. A. R. Moore, who after playing in the fiveeighths position for most of the season, was chosen as half-back for the representative side, scored a good try but was held up when he tried other individualist efforts.

For South Canterbury a superlative exhibition of line-out play was given by the All Black, L. A. Grant. J. A. Patrick, of Mackenzie, who gave a Clever exhibition in the Town v. Country game at Timaru, was again to the fore.

The Play In dull conditions on a field that was just damp, Ashburton opened the scoring. After a vigorous forward rush led by McCrea, the visiting backs fanned out and Barrett staggered over near the corner flag. A few minutes later, J. Forbes, Patrick, and I. Paterson headed a forward rush that ended on the Ashburton line with Bradley making a good save, but from a scrum near the line a moment or two later Taylor gathered in the ball and sped over wide out to make the scores even. O’Reilly (Ashburton) went through an opening and passed to Smith in support, and several other players handled before Butler scored. Another opening by O’Reilly made the way for W. Maw’s try, which made the half-time score; Ashburton 9, South Canterbury 3. South Canterbury forwards showed more life on the resumption, but lack of the ball held the side up in spite of a territorial advantage. Frpm a scrum on the line, Moore at half-back dived over on the ball, and then in a superlative back movement near time, one of the best turned on by the southern side, every back handled, and Taylor crashed over in the corner. The kick failed. On the call of time, McCrea (Ashburton) just failed to reach the cross-bar with a long penalty kick, and J. Doig attempted a field goal. In the second spell, R. Prattley went into the South Canterbury back line in place of E. Leary, who suffered a shoulder injury. Mr J. MacMillan (Oamaru) was referee. Junior Game In a rather ragged junior game, Ashburton won by 14 *to 8, all the points being scored in the first spell. The Ashburton forwards called the tune in the opening stages and rattled on 11 points in a matter of minutes. For Ashburton, P. Nickalls scored a try, which he converted, and kicked a penalty, and H. Tait and P. Roulston scored tries. South Canterbury’s points came from tries by L. Mann and D. Rennie, one of which was converted by G. Fitzgerald.

COMBINED ASHBURTON AND NORTH OTAGO TEAM The following combined team/ representing North Otago* and Ashburton, has been chosen tc* play South Canterbury on August 4 at Timaru in an All Black trial match Full-back, J. Halvorsen (N. 0. three-quarters, B. Barrett (Ashburton), G. Johnston (N. 0. A. McLeod (Ashburton); five-eighths, D. E. Collins (N. 0. captain, J. Doig (Ashburton); half-back, L. Campbell (N. 0. forwards, R. Sheppard (N. 0. K. Smith (Ashburton), P. Sergeant (N. 0. W. Butler (Ashburton), N. McCrea (Ashburton), S. Mo’rley (N. 0. W. Maw (Ashburton), J. Small (Ashburton). Emergencies: C. Cromie (Ashburton), H. McGregor (Ashburton), K. Kilgour (N. 0. R. Ashworth (Ashburton), R. Twaddle (N. 0. I. McGarry (Ashburton).

BULLER BEATS WEST COAST

KEEN TUSSLE IN FORWARDS From Our Own Reporter GREYMOUTH, July 17. Beaten narrowly in the first home-and-home match of the season, Buller turned the tables on the West Coast Rugby representatives in the return match at Greymouth to-day. Buller won decisively by 13 points to 6 after a keen forward tussle. There were only occasional flashes of combined effort by both sets of backs.

Buller had all the advantage in the first spell, in which the visitors scored all their points. Three tries, two of which were converted by A. Kerr, made up their total. In the second spell the West Coast forwards played with greater vigour and determination and were unlucky not to add to their two unconverted tries on at least two occasions.

Both sets of backs failed to* combine effectively, though Buller showed slightly the better form in this department. The tackling, usually a strong feature of the West Coast backs, was weak, and gave Buller its early lead. West Coast early lost J. Gillan, whose place at second five-eighths was taken by E. G. Walker, the centre. R. Stoop came on to take Walker’s position.

J. Stuart was Buller’s outstanding forward, who was well supported by R. Beveridge, W. Mumm, and G. Anderson. W. Dickson was the most enterprising of the inside backs. His shrewd kicks found many gaps, but W. Amberger and J. Lindbom (West Coast) provided excellent cover defence. O. Smallholme was Dickson’s best support, though few opportunities on attack came their way. The West Coast forwards hooked the ball from most of the scrums, but Buller generally pushed them off the ball. Even when the ball did clear the scrum, the half-back, P. Hurren, and E. Andrews were too slow. Walker was closely watched, but he appeared to be off his game and handled badly. J. Lindbom played his usual souhd game at full-back and was called on for heavy defensive duties. His opposite number, A. Neighbours, had an easy time. G. Nelson, W. Hornby. R. Eastgate, and B. Mettrick were the most prominent among the forwards. Until the interval, West Coast appeared to be in for a heavy defeat, but the team made a big improvement in the second spell and scored within a few minutes of the resumption of play. The hooker, B. Mettrick, went oyer for a good try when he secured from a ruck. Buller’s defence held against two West Coast onslaughts, on one occasion a West Coast forward just failing to ground the ball under the posts. A try near the corner was scored by M. Stoop (West Coast). When Dickson and Kerr cut. through the opposition in the first 20. minutes of play Smallholme scored Buller’s first try, which A. Kerr converted. A few minutes later G. Anderson picked up the ball near the line and went over, and A. Kerr again converted. Then Dickson sent McHerron over for a third try, which was not converted. , . x In a curtain-raiser the Buller and West Coast juniors drew, 6-all. RANFURLY SHIELD SOUTH CANTERBURY TEAM TO PLAY OTAGO From Our Own Reporter TIMARU, July 18. The South Canterbury team which will meet Otago in the first Ranfurly Shield match of the season at Carisbrook next Saturday was announced to-day by the selectors (Messrs S. H. Sullivan, A. C. Rippin, and E. J. Fairbrother) as folBacks: J. Goddard, J. Taylor, M. P. Goddard, R. Prattley, G. Harper, W. Pratt, A- R. Moore. Forwards: I. Paterson, G. O Hara, J. Patrick, P. Fitzgerald, N. Hobbs, J. Bryce, L. A. Grant. J. McConnell. _ Emergencies.—Backs: J. Coulter, J. Fraser, H. Fairbrother. Forwards: 2. Harrington and B. Fitzgerald.

SOUTHBRIDGE SHIELD HURUNUI BEATS NORTH CANTERBURY The first match for the Southbridge Shield, which is competed for annually by the Canterbury Sub-Unions, wap played at Amberley on Saturday between the North Canterbury Sub-Union (the holders), and the Hurunui Sub-Union (the challengers), and resulted in a win for Hurunui by 8 points to 5. The game was full of incident, especially in the first half, when it seemed that the fitness of the North Canterbury team would win them the match. In the second half, however, the Hurunui forwards proved their supremacy over the North Canterbury forwards, and outplayed them in every department of the game. In spite of the excellent work of A. M. Henderson and N. Kilworth for the North Canterbury team, the Hurunui forwards, ably led by N. Dalzell and A. Barnes, proved themselves to be a pack which showed too much fire for the North Canterbury pack. The Hurunui team owed their win to the fitness of their forwards and to the capable leadership of Dalzell and Barnes. Though not spectacular in their play, they showed themselves to be honest in the tight and deadly in the loose. Others who impressed were L. Laugeson and D. Brown. They helped to make a sound pack. Though the backline of the Hurunui team were not called on to perform many attacking movements, in what they did do they did Well. The best back on the field was I. McNally, who showed the large crowd which attended the match that he was worthy of representative honours higher than have been given him. Many of the passes from the first five-eighths to him were at ground level, yet he recovered every time and saved his side from some dangerous positions which it had got itself in to. On attack he provided many thrills and on the occasions when he did penetrate the defence he gained many yards before the movement broke down, mainly. for want of support. Of the forwards, Henderson and Kilworth were the best. Henderson in particular played a game which should have inspired the rest of the forward pack to work. His line-out play was exceptional, and his work in the tight showed him to be a player who could work as honestly in the loose as in the tight. He found a good partner in Kilworth. Play opened in a desultory fashion and neither team settled down to work until about 15 minutes had passed. A forward rush by the Hurunui forwards carried play on to the North Canterbury line, where Reardon, the Hurunui half-back, dived over. The kick by Barnes failed. Soon afterwards North Canterbury retaliated and Thomas scored following a forward rush. McNally converted. There was no further score before half-time. The second half opened with the Hurunui forwards pressing the North Canterbury team. Again Reardon scored when he received the ball from a ruck on the North Canterbury line. The kick failed. North Canterbury pressed hard, but were unable to score again and the final whistle blew with the score Hurunui 8, North Canterbury 5. Mr J. B. Stone was the referee.