RANFURLY SHIELD WON BY CANTERBURY

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27150, 21 September 1953, Page 11

RANFURLY SHIELD WON BY CANTERBURY

Wellington Beaten By Margin of 21 Points BRILLIANT FORWARD PLAY DECISIVE (From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, September 19. After withstanding challenges from Southland, East Coast, Otago, Taranaki, and Auckland, Wellington was decisively beaten by Canterbury by 24 points to 3 for the Ranfurly Shield at Wellington today. Fiery, hard-rucking, quick-breaking Canterbury forwards, combined with the deadly tackling and the hard running of the backs, were the chief factors in Canterbury’s win. It was a magnificent win and the score, which could have been even larger, in no way represented the difference in the two teams. A northerly wind which in the early stages of play was fairly fresh had little effect on the conditions for the game, which were ideal. The ground was extremely hard—in some parts bare of grass—and at times players were obscured by clouds of dust arising from scrums or rucks. A record crowd of between 40,000 and 45,000 watched the match. The gate takings amounted to £3578, bringing the total amount in gate receipts for the six shield matches played at Wellington to £17,591.

The following were the teams:— Canterbury.—K. C. Stuart; M. J. Dixon, A. E. G. Elsom, R. M. Smith; A. W. McPherson. D. D. Wilson: P. B. Vincent; J J. Small. R. C. Stuart, R. H. Duff, G. N. Dalzell, S. F. Hill, E. Hern, D. Young, B. P. Eastgate. Wellington.—T. R. O’Callaghan; R. A. Jarden, J. T. Fitzgerald, B. W. Battell; C. J. Loader, T. J. S. Riley; V. D. Bevan; G. G. Mexted, W. H. Clarke, C. P. Williams, D. G. Harker, D. N. Mclntosh, M. H. Vodanovich, S. W. Judd, B. J. Lloyd. Canterbury, employing the same tactics as it did when it won the shield from Otago in 1950, did not give Wellington a chance. The forwards drove in mercilessly and, apart from the first few minutes, had the Wellington pack well beaten. When the ball did get out to the Wellington backs, deadly low tackling by the Canterbury inside backs brought movements

to _a. halt, almost ascsoo.n as they had been begun. The Canterbury forwards, dashing to the resulting rucks, pushed Wellington off the ball to give the Canterbury backs every opportunity to score.

The Bevan-Riley combination was not very happy, and the Canterbury forwards capitalised on this to the full extent. Anything loose was promptly seized upon by the Canterbury forwards, who swept all before them in foot and passing rushes up the field. Where on occasions one Wellington forward could be seen bringing the ball away at toe, the Canterbury packmen were always supported in these footrushes and as a solid wedge they split the Wellington defences wide open.

Comparatively few times did the Wellington backs function as a line. Bevan, receiving the very close attention of the Canterbury side row men, was subdued to a degree that he has never been before. After he had been under pressure for only a few minutes, it was noticeable that many of his passes were going astray.and it is a tribute to the Canterbury'breakaways that this happened, in that the attention given to him was such that he was forced into errors he would otherwise not have made. Wellington, broken and beaten upon the rocks of the Canterbury towards, had little chance to use its backline as an effective scoring machine. Like the forwards, they foundered. Bevan’s inability to let Riley get away to a flying start was one of the reasons why the Wellington backs fared so badly; but the main reason was the magnificent low tackling of the Canterbury inside backs. The Canterbury backs abruptly halted Wellington back movements because on only one occasion did the ball get as far along the line as either of the wing three-quar-ters. On that one occasion the wing concerned—Jarden—was brought low where he received the ball. Difference in Tactics

Wellington made every endeavour—as usual —to get the ball out to the speedy wings, Jarden and Battell. This stratagem failed. Canterbury, however, relied on the short grubber kick through to give the speedy Elsom and both wings a chance. This proved a complete success, for the Wellington backs, emulating the play of the Canterbury backs, got up extremely fast on their men. Knowing the capabilities of both McPherson and Elsom, they were taking no chances. What applied to the Canterbury tackling in the backs can also be said for the Wellington backs. On not one occasion did the ball reach the Canterbury wings, but this was through design rather than poor play. The short grubber kicks from either Wilson or McPherson were usually aimed at a point far enough away to make O’Callaghan—a man who is not fast —run to cover up. Too often, he arrived at the ball at the same time as Canterbury’s outside backs, with the result that he was either tackled or could do little to stop a Canterbury advance.

Canterbury’s variations of back play often had Wellington in sore straits. A full understanding with the forwards and the switching of play from the open to the blind found Wellington without an answer. Near the Wellington goal line both wings were employed to come into the backs as five-eighths; and if the wing was tackled—as it was devised he should be—play was immediately switched to the blind, with Vincent, Wilson, McPherson, and sometimes K. C. Stuart, in to make an overlap. These tactics also paid dividends. Smith’s Day From orthodox open-side movements neither Canterbury wing was given much chance. They were left to make their own tries—a feat which each pulled off. Two All Black wings were included in the teams, but neither showed up half as well as the Canterbury left wing. Smith. Not since he first played representative football for Canterbury in 1949 has he played such a grand game. Except for one lapse, which might have brought a try, he could not be faulted. He tackled with determination, followed up anything loose with a speed which many did not think he pos-

sessed and scored one of the best, if not the best try of the match when he battled his way through four or five defenders with only a few inches of ground in which to work. Had he played in the All Black trials in Christchurch as he played in this match, the selectors might seriously have thought of including him in this year’s New Zealand team. Dixon on the other wing did not have the opportunities of Smith, but even so he did not impress to the same degree. At times when he received the ball his somewhat aimless running ended in his being grounded before any benefit could accrue. His marking of Jarden—a Herculean task —was accomplished in no uncertain manner; and once the referee ruled an obstruction. His try, scored after a fairly long run, was a good one and he gave no defender a chance in his sprint to the line.

Elsom, handicapped by an injury to a knee, for which he had an injection shortly before the match, recevied little, if any, of the ball. Care had been taken that he would not take too many tackles: and his main job was to use his phenomenal speed to chase the kicks of his inside men. In one such run he was right on hand to score a good try. , Another player who, from this showings in the All Black trials and this game seems unlucky to have missed selection, is McPherson. His tackling of the All Black, Loader, oft Saturday must put him high up on the list of the best defensive players in the country. Loader was not given a chance. Timing his run-up to perfection, McPherson usually tackled him when he was wide open to a tackle—at the very instant the ball landed in his hands. On attack, he had little chance to show his paces. His one job, is seemed, was to grubber kick to a position where best advantage could be taken of it by the fast outside men. The Perfect Combination

With a feast of the ball from set scrums and rucks, Canterbury had every opportunity to play the brand of football for which it is now renowned. At the base of the scruni Vincent combined perfectly with Wilson, and it was this combination which contributed so such to Canterbury’s success.

Vincent was outstanding. His passes to Wilson were crisp and well directed and his judicious use of the line with high kicks which, if they did not go out, served as handy up-and-unders, gained large stretches of ground for his team. His solo bursts from the base of scrums or rucks, however, were the most notable feature of his play. Five or six times during the game he sprinted up the middle of the field to set his backs in motion. On two such occasions tries nearly resulted and on a third, he scorned all opposition with a solo run of about 40 yards which ended with a try under the posts. Vincent’s perfect understanding with Wilson allowed the latter plenty of time to work in. Rarely did Wilson attempt a break through himself, but rather concentrated on either sending the ball on or kicking to the wings. The variation in his kicking must have caused Wellington some concern, and his use of the blind line with high kicks often caught Wellington on the wrong foot and allowed the wing every opportunity to get up to it. On defence he was solidity personified. Stuart’s Grand Game If there was any doubt in the Wellington public’s mind as to the capabilities of K. C. Stuart at full-back, they were certainly dispelled today With two exceptions his handling of the ball was faultless and his positional play was such that any long Wellington kicks which did not make the sideline invariably found their way into his very capable hands. • After two poor kicks at goal he later settled down and kicked a penalty goal and three conversions. Another long kick from the sideline went just outside the upright. He had the distinction of kicking the first conversion recorded against Wellington this year. Every other phase of Stuart’s play—his tackling and his going down on the ball in the face of onward rushes, was excellent. The Winning Pack Except in lineouts Canterbury dominated the forward play. In the lineouts Wellington emerged the winners by 25 to 21, but they lost the scrums by 15 to 25 and were well beaten in the rucks. It was from these scrums and rucks that Hill, on the side, tood out. Frequently he caught Eevan before the half-back had a chance to get his passes away and on other occasions he was the instigator of many forward rushes, having taken the ball practically out of Bevan’s hands. Stuart, on the other side of the scrum, was equally efficient and these two proved a very large thorn in Bevan’s side.

On cover defence and for all-round play in the tight, none stood out so well as Small. When the fullback, Stuart, was taking part in back movements or had been tackled, Small was

always to be found filling the position of rearguard. Eastgate added to his reputation with another grand display in loose forward rushes and with Hem, another extremely fit and fiery forward, could usually be seen in the vanguard of any Canterbury forward thrust. On the shoulders of Duff and Dalzell fell the responsibility of winning the ball for Canterbury m the lineouts and in this department they fell just short of getting their share. Like Small, and for that matter the whole forward pack, they gave of their all in the tight. Young, as his usual practice is, gave Vincent more than his share of the ball from set scrums and he was usually to be seen backing up in anv forward passing rushes Bevan Disappointing

Bevan had an off day. Paid too much attention by the Canterbury side row men, he found great difficulty in getting good passes away to Riley. His inability to form a combination with Riley was perhaps one of the reasons for Wellington’s defeat. At times his passes missed Riley altogether, and Loader or Fitzgerald were left to cover up. His passing improved later in the game, but every now and again a pass would go astray, usually with disastrous results.

Riley, like Loader, was not given any chance, nor for that matter was any of the Wellington backs. Riley and Loader both attempted high kicks down field to start with, but they discontinued this practice after they saw what Stuart was doing to them. Jarden had one run, and this one of only short duration. Both he and Battell were starved of opportunities on the wings. Battell was beaten by Smith two or three times, but he retaliated towards the end of the game with a grand run down the field which ended in his being thrown into touch by Stuart. O’Callaghan at full-back was overshadowed bv Stuart. His line-finding was weak and he had many handling lapses. His slowness in getting to the ball gave the fast Canterbury outside backs plenty of opportunities to get up on him.

The only phase of play in which Wellington excelled was the lineouts. They won the majority of the lineouts through the magnificent jumping of Harker, a solidly-built youth of 19 who was locking the Wellington scrum. On every occasion he could be seen high above all the other players. Clark, who has the reputation of being one of the fastest forwards in New Zealand, gave a demonstration of his prowess when he overhauled Elsom near Wellington’s corner flag just as a try seemed certain. Witn Uoyd, Vodanqvich and Mexted he formed the spearhead of several Wellington forward attacks which failed because of the tigerish opposition from the Canterbury pack. Mclntosh, on the side, also proved fast off the side of the scrum, and on one or two occasions tackled Wilson in possession or made him kick hurriedly to touch.

The Play For the first five’ minutes Wellington pressed home a hot attack which had Canterbury defending desperately. In one attack a likely movement was just stopped short of the line when K. C. Stuart saved right in the corner. Canterbury by hard work forced its way up to the halfway mark where a Wellington mlskick was taken and kicked down to O’Callaghan. A high up-and-under was fumbled by Stuart on nis twenty-five yard line and the ball was kicked through. Jarden following up was obstructed by Dixon and from a handy position Jarden scored the first points of the match when he kicked a good penalty goal. WELLINGTON 3, CANTERBURY 0.

From the kick-off the Canterbury forwards took play into Wellington territory. From a rutk Vincent received and made his way up-field with a dazzling solo run. Wilson, receiving from Vincent, managed to get his kick away to the sideline before he was brought down. From a ruck following the throw-in Wilson worked the blind and handed on to Smith, who beat several defenders to score in tne corner. Stuart failed to convert.

WELLINGTON 3, CANTERBURY 3. With about 20 minutes gone Riley received in loose play and attempted a field goal, which went wide of the mark. Shortly after Stuart attempted a fairly hard penalty goal, but the ball slewed off his foot and went into touch in goal. After play had been in progress 25 minutes Canterbury was awarded a penalty half way between the twenty-five and half-way, and practically in front. Stuart made no mistake with the kick. CANTERBURY 6, WELLINGTON 3. Wellington had a chance to equalise five minutes later, but Jarden’s shot at goal from a handy position went wide. Wellington was kept pinned in its own twenty-five for about five minutes, and from a ruck Smith received, but dropped the ball when a try appeared likely. With one minute to go before half time Wilson kicked to Dixon’s wing. The ball was taken by Jarden, but he was tackled by Dixon. The ball, which had rolled loose, was kicked over the line and Elsom, coming up fast, dived on it to score in the comer. • Stuart’s kick went just outside the upright, making the half-time score: CANTERBURY 9. WELLINGTON 3. Canterbury resumed its attack at the start of the second half. After Stuart had -missed a kicK at goal Wilson flew across in the corner, but the referee ordered him back for a previous infringement. Smith nearly scored his second try when he wrested the ball out of Battell’s grasp, moved up field and kicked high. It was taken by O'Callaghan over his goal line, but he fumbled it and in the dive for the ball O’Callaghan just won. After 20 minutes Vincent scored a spectacular try. From a ruck between the twenty-five and half-way in Wellington territory, Vincent picked up the ball and raced down the centre of the field to score unopposed under the posts. Stuart converted. CANTERBURY 14, WELLINGTON 3 For a brief period Wellington stayed in Canterbury territory. When Jardeq mishandled a ball, Elsom gained possession and began a 30-yard sprint for the comer. Clark, flying across-field at an angle, tackled him a yard from the comer flag. Canterbury made two attempts to get across, but was thrown back. On his third attempt R. Stuart received the ball from a quick throw-in and dived over the line In a handy position. K. C. Stuart converted. CANTERBURY 19, WELLINGTON 3. With 34 minutes gone, Wilson kicked a low ball out to Dixon’s wing. The ball struck Jarden on the heel and bounced into the arms of Dixon, who was racing up after it. He sprinted for the line to score in a handy position. Stuart converted. CANTERBURY 24, WELLINGTON 3. With five minutes of play left Battell received in loose play and made a determined bid for the corner .flag. He was tackled short of the line by Stuart. Bevan had to force hurriedly when Dalzell and Duff went through with the ball at their toes. Canterbury was attacking when the final whistle blew. Canterbury won by 24 points (three goals from tries, two tries, and a penalty goal) to 3 (a penalty goal). Mr A. A. Griffiths (Waikato) was referee.