RUGBY FOOTBALL Competition games begin

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27642, 26 April 1955, Page 7

RUGBY FOOTBALL Competition games begin

Technical And University Give Bright Display

MARIST BEATEN BY ALBION

. £ dis Pl?y of bright, open football between Technical and University was given on the Lancaster Park Oval on Saturday in the main game on the opening day of the Canterbury Rugby Unions competitions. The field, which carried a good sole of grass, was in capital order and the weather* was fine with the ball easy to handle, technical won narrowly. In the curtain-raiser Old Boys, last year s champions, were much too good for a weak New Brighton team. Albion caused a major surprise by beating the more fancied Marist team, and Belfast also upset calculations with a victory 2 V S Sydenham. Merivale failed to hold the more experienced Linwood team and Christchurch had a runaway w *n ~ or P Sunnyside-Spreydon. „iS/H?'Y ln ?u Were t he resu its of games played in the senior championship:— Technical 11, University 9. Albion 12, Marist 10. Old Boys 26, New Brighton 5. Linwood 16, Merivale 3. Belfast 3, Sydenham 0. Christchurch 33, Sunnyslde-Sprey-

v - university _.*?F u. nrst-ot-the-season display the game, between Technical and university was well above the average and gave a briehte > r W ?hln'J, Od i ValUe ’I" 1 ® a Promise of brighter things to come. Technical’s win SLiLES, 1n . te t° 9 “bout represented the the merits of the teams, al- ,? ea S the end of the th? etrUe bursts of the University Sl' k ?, SjS oB * reversed the positions. It exhilarating Rugby played at a very fast pace from start to finish and Produced much football of a very high standard. n/I ni Y e r Kit y began the game with the hSd uS*°?u o£ establishing an early rS!™ they w ? re , Setting the ball from the serums early in the game their . c _ . snowed commendable enterprise in Ptaying non-stop football giving the Techthorough test in tackling. had setu ed down had ,P ut thr ee points on the board. Burry, who played for Otago Universlty previously, scoring a good try which was not converted. n »v®*sity had set a very solid paca ana the challenge was accepted by Technical once the forwards settled to their game, and the hooker, D. Young, was able to give his backs something to play with. Then another difficulty had to be ironed out when J. Waine, Technical five-eighths, E®??*y ed . awkward passes from a young £ to . yln * *1“ first K ame in senior football. Waine, however, took these passes and when D. Taylor, the centrethreequarters, was illegally tackled T. Jackson opened Technical’s account with a penalty -goal. Jackson had scored three Point* but One of his clearing kicks went straight to the opposing full-back, J. Croucher, who potted a fine goal, and the same player gave University a 9-3 lead with a penalty goal after L. Grenfell had been caught offside. This was a really good kick. Waine made a wide opening for Taylor who. Quickly sent the ball to the winger, B. Logan, who went over for a good try. The pace was fast although the second spell with Technical having the better of the game. B. Logan scored his second try after all the backs had handled in a movement started by P. Logan, and in which Taylor made the opening for the try. Jackson converted with a magnificent kick from a wide angle. Both teams are to be commended for the bright, open game they played. A feature was the excellent backing-up by players on both sides, for invariably when a back had sent his pass along he doubled round to take a further hand. This was football at its best and showed real team spirit and combination. When the advance of the backs was stemmed there were always forwards on hand waiting for the in-pass. The ball was almost continuously in play and the use of the touchline was seldom resorted to. It was a game of speed and open play with tfie more rugged Technical forwards just tipping the balance. In this game there were individuals who stood out for splendid work. Waine at first five-eighths and Taylor at centre were the Technical stars, each sensing an opening which was quickly taken advantage of and running two speedy wingers in P. and B. Logan into position. Jackson’s play at full-back was a mixture of accurate line-finding which gained ground, aimless- centre kicks which got his side into trouble, fine goal-kicking, and a good clean tackle which prevented a certain

the University scrum B. Molloy, on this game a real "find” for the team, gave a polished display of accurate passing which was taken with ease by his five-eighths, B. Woods and C. Keenan, while R. Wells showed up as a very bright wlng-threequarters with plenty of speed. At full-back, J. Croucher displayed the form which has been expected of him but was missing in some of his games last season. When he came into the attack he had the dash of a good centre-three-quarters, a position he played in when captain of Nelson College three years ago. The forwards on both sides played with the main purpose of taking the ball cleafily and feeding their backs and did not confine thier activities to continuous rucking which takes the Interest out of so many games. The handling was firstclass and few passes were dropped. While N. Teague and N. Hobbs held the scrum G. Sibley, I. Rathgen, and B. Arthur were always close to the ball and ever ready to join in the fast work of the backs. For University H. Burry proved a firstclass No. 8, with R. Marris on the side of the scrum and G. Williams and Z. Dalzell, locks, playing, their parts well. Following were the teams:— Technical.—T. Jackson; P. Logan. D. Taylor, B. Logan; B. F6rd, J. Waine; B. Ranghumti; G. Sibley, D. Young, L. Grenfell, I. Rathgen, N. N. Teague, J. Cooper, B. Arthur. , w University.—J. Croucher; R. Wells, R. Land, J. Tapnell; C. Keenan, B. Woods; B. Molloy; N. Moss, K. Ross, J. Stewart, W. Bull, G. Williams, Z. Dalzell, R. Morris, H ’T«Siical won by 11 points (a goal from a try, a try, and a penalty goal) to 9 points (a try, a penalty goal, and a field S. Whiteford was referee. EASY WIN FOR OLD BOYS Old Boys had little difficulty in beating New Brighton for although New Brighton held its opponents to 9 points (two tries and a penalty goal) to 0 in the first half Old Boys outstayed and outplayed them in the later stages of the game. The match provided a splendid practice game for Old Boys, whose backs and forwards were given every opportunity to gain that Understanding of each other s play which has won the championship for thd last two years. The Old Boys forwards were faster and fitter than thair opponents, and though the emphasis whs on passing by the backs the forwards worked solidly and well, gained the ball in set scrums and line-outs and gave the half-back, P. Vincent, wryopporfunity to adroit Wood has not yet had much experience of senior grade football, he shows every promise of developing into a solid Jnemher of the team. On occasions he failed to collect the passes sent to him, but once in possession he worked happily with S. Henderson, who may develop into the Star performer in’a good backline. A very strong runner, Henderson seemed to penetrate the defence at will especially in the second spell when he made several good openings for L. Johnsen, at centre, who quickly and effectively ran his wings into scoring positions. R. Blick, Wing-three-quarters, is in good form already and showed speed and determination in scoring tries. A newcomer in P. Davies made several tricky runs and opened the play for his forwards when he found progress stopped. D. Mayo was in his usual gay scoring mood for he scored a try, converted one try and kicked two penalty goals. His defence was never severely tested, but his dashes into the attack were helpful. In the Old Boys’ forwards, who had a comparatively easy job to do, E. Bullmore, N. Roberts, G. Roberts and M. Hern were often prominent. No match for their faster and more experienced opponents, the New Brighton backs were compelled to concentrate on defence and in this they did a good job until lack of condition told the tale. The most impressive was the full-back, M. Hadley, who handled well and gained ground with long line-finders. A left-foot kick, Hadley used good judgment in placing the ball. G. Bolton, at centre, was the mainstay on defence, and M. Murray and B. Duncan at five-eighths, did their best to stop Henderson and Johnsen from breaking, through.' In the New Brighton forwards M. Harris, N. Buchanan and P. Breech got through serviceable work. Following were the teams:—. Old Boys.—D. Mayo; R. Blick, L. Johnsen, P. Davies; 8. Henderson. M. Woods;

P. Vtarent, D. Hern, G. Knight, G. Bullmore, G. Roberts. E. Hern, R. Cochrane, M. Hern, N? Roberts. New Brighton.—M. Hadley; W. Earsman, G. Bdlton, B. Boland; M. Murray. B. Duncan; W. Duncan, R. Hockley, C. ML Buchanan, P. Goosey, R. Nixon, M. Harris, W. Duke, P. Breach. Old Boys won by 28 points (trtes by BJlck <3)» Davies, Johnsen and Mayo, one of which was converted by Mayo, who also kicked two penalty goals) to 5 points (a try by Brown, converted by Hadley). Mr S. Thorbum was referee.

ALBION'S DESERVED WIN For Albion the opening of the season was encouraging. In the last few years Albion has supped from the high position it once held on the championship ladder, but if it produces in its later matches the brand of football it played against Marist on Saturday at Rugby Park, it should be a strong contender for the senior title. Albion beat Marist by 12 points (two tries and two field goals) to 10 (two goals from tries), in what was for the first competition game of the season an excellent match. Except for the opening stages, when both sets of backs—but Marist in particular—had handling lapses, play was of a very high standard for so early in the

Mistakes in handling and line finding in the initial stages cost Marist a victory. On the other hand, Albion made few mistakes and was very quick to capitalise on those made by the opposition. Against the seasoned veteran, K. C. Stuart, Albion’s new full-back, N. Edgington, showed up in a very healthy light. At first his handling was a little suspect, but as the game progressed so dia his play improve. His line kicking was vastly superior to that of Stuart, who had an off day in this department. Edgington’s positional play was also sound, and when he has a little more experience should be a of real class. Stuart was called upon many times throughout the game to display his ability at rush stopping, and this he did in the manner which has impressed people from all over the Dominion. Apart from his line-kicking, Stuart also played a good game. •Hie partnership of R. Dyer at half-back and J. Palmer at first five-eighths, was superior to that of .the. Marist comblnaUon, W. S. Collins and J. Collier. Both Dyer and Collins impressed very favourably, throwing out snappy passes, and al--Blvln< a first-rate exhibition of half-back play. Palmer also impressed as a nippy, hard-running five-eighths, with a sound sense of anticipation for an opening, and Collier, on the other hahd, did not play a good game, although towards the end of the match he improved somewhat!, N. Heath, at second five-eighths for Albion, distinguished himself by kicking two field goals, one from between the 25-yard line and half-way. He and Farrington, who also shop/ed good form occasionally, had a battle royal, the honours being equal. Of the six three-quarters, the two best players were C. A. McDonald, Marist centre, and P. Hutchinson, Marist right w’ng. McDonald had the edge on the All Black, A. E. G. Elsom, and provided the only thrust in the Marist back line. Hutchinson, on the wing, an unaccustomed position for him, scored one of Marist’s tries, and was the instigator of the other. J. Ackland and §• J. Douglas also played very well. Ackland scored a

good try, and Douglas just failed to equal this performance after a very determined 50-yard run to the comer. In the forwards Albion, with a«lighter, more mobile pack, had the edge on Marist in the loose in the first half. On countless occasions the loose forwards hurried the Marist half with lightning bursts round the side and through lineouts. In the second half, Marist counered this to some extent. In the tight play, the heavier Marist pack held sway. Marist received a greater share of the ball from line-outs and scrums, but could do little with it. Of the forwards, B. Hopping, for Albion, had no equal. In the tight he was a tower of strength, and in the loose he was a tiger. Other Albion forwards who played an honest and hard game were W. Garlick, W. Coulston, T. Milne, and, until he went off injured, S. Robinson. For Marist, D. Ashworth secured a good share of the ball from set scrums. In the line-outs. J. P. Ryan. B. Mann, and J. Purdie. who also left the field injured, were the strength. In the loose, J. Le Lievre and J. Ryan worked well. For Albion, tries were scored by Ackland and Coulston, and Heath kicked two field goals. Marist’s points came from tries by Hutchinson and McDonald, both of which were converted by Stuart. Mr W. Fright was referee. The teams were:— Albion.—N. Edgington; J. Ackland, A. E G, Elsom, P. Lennon; W. Heath, J. Panner; R. Dyer; W. Garlick, H. Garlick, T. Milne, B. Hopping, A. Bates, W. Coulston, S. Robinson, J. Claridge. Mar * st —K; c - Stuart; P. A. Hutchin. son, C. McOonald, s. J. Douglas; M B. Farrington, J. Collier; W. S. Collins; J. Ryan. W Cuttance, J. P. Ryan, J. A. Pur°ie4 B. Dalllessi, B. Mann, D. Ashworth. J. Le Lievre. IMPRESSJVE WIN FOB CHRISTCHURCH Except for - the beginning of the first and second spells, Christchurch held the upper hand throughout the game with Sunnyside-Spreydon at Sunnyside, winning a fast game by 33 points (three goals from tries, five tries, one penalty goal, and a field .goal) to 6 (a try and a penalty goal). For Christchurch, the two outstanding players were R. M. Smith on the wing and J. Hotop, flfist five-eighths. Smith scored three tries and took an important part in the shoring of two others. Hotop. who has returned to the Christchurch side after an absence of a year through injuries, proved without any shadow of doubt that he has lost none of his ability. His game was first-class and, with P. Moir at second five-eighths, the two formed a combination which had the combined defence solely tried. Hotop played rather orthodox football, never attempting to do too much by himself, and with Moir adapting himself to Hotop’s play, the Chrirtchurch line was given an impetus which gathered speed as the ball travelled further out. Considerable Interest was< taken in the display of the Auckland representative, H. Vernon, making his first appearance with the Christchurch side. His display was impressive. Not only did he provide thrust in the line, but he proved he had the one necessary qualification for a good centre three-quarters by running his wings into scoring positions. At fullback, Gold played his usual steady though unspectacular game, and on the other wing, J. Osborne was also sound. Christchurch’s superiority allowed the forwards certain latitude to exploit the loose style of play, and this they did. At times, however, they were a little too loose, and at these times the combined side got on top. The best of the forwards was K. Orsbourn, a loose forward, who,shows distinct promise of developing into a player of real class. Through fine backing up he scored two good tries. Other good hard-working forwards were J. Staines, H. Brown, and W. Collins. Sunnyside-Spreydon saw little of the ball and was confined for most of the game to defensive tactics. This function both forwards and backs carried out very well, the tackling for the most part being excellent. The constructive play of the side was not up to the level of Christchurch, mainly because the backs saw so little of the ball. When the ball did get to the backs, however, advantage was lost-ihrough kicking. At first five-eighths, N. Mullen combined quite well with D. Wakefield, but further out thrust was badly needed. Bates at full-back came through a trying day with credit. All the forwards worked hard, and for much of the time held the Christchurch eight. For brief spells they got on top, but movements Were not finished off and territorial advantage was lost. L. Stuart, the hooker, had the edge on his opposite number, and gave the combined side a fair share of the ball from this department. Other forwards to impress were R. Stutteridge and R. Nicholas. Mr L. Kirk was referee. The following were the teams:—

Christchurch.—M. Gold, J. Osborne, R. Smith, H. Vernon; P. Moir, J. Hotop; K. Allsop; J. Staines, W. Collins, E. Jones, K. Orsbourn, A. McCall, H. Brown, M. Innes-Jones, R. Wells.

Sunnyside-Spreydon.—O. D. Bates; P. Lorgenson, I. Richards, N. Wakefield; R. Barnes, N. Mullen; D. Wakefield; D. Donald, R. Stutteridge, F. Chapman, R. NichL. Righton, Clayton, L. Stuart, S.

BELFAST WINS BY PENALTY Two evenly-matched teams—Belfast and Sydenham—played a scrappy but hardfought game at Lancaster Park West, which Belfast won by 3 points to 0. Although most players showed they had reached a high degree of physical fitness for so early in the season, the encounter was marred by badly-judged passes and a great deal of mishandling. There was no score by half-time, Belfast gaining Its points with a penalty goal towards the end of the second half. The main merits of both sides lay in their determination. Sydenham began the match in its customary dashing style with player after player making bold individual bids to get through tackles. But Belfast* defending tenaciously* sur-

vived that early period of Sydenham activity to fight back when play settled into a pattern of quick changes from end to end. Although little was done of a spectacular nature, both aides are to be commended for playing attacking football and keeping theball in play. Sydenham, which had a greater share of the ball and a greater number of potential scoring chances, failed to gain an advantage because of inconsistent back play. The half-back, D. Sampson, in spite of being troubled by fast-breaking forwards, got some good passes away to begin movements which nearly always broke down. At first five-eighths, R. Cotton, a most elusive runner, and a clever tactician. showed that he is not yet rid of his main fault of the last few seasons—holding on to the ball too long and being caught in possession. A tendency to take passes flat-footed allowed the Belfast players to get up on their opposites and stifle movements. For that reason, R. Bowick, the centre three-quarters, one of the most formidable in the Sydenham line, was given no leeway. He was almost invariably tackled hard by W. Guilford, as he got the ball. The wing threeQuarters, E. Hurndell, R. Brown and A. emmett, who replaced Brown, all made same forceful runs and the full-back, M. Gowans, upheld his reputation as * long and accurate line kick, but he missed several kicks at goal. Nor did the Belfast backs function smoothly. They mpde frequent attempts to throw the ball about, but lacked penetration even after players had changed their positions. Their main asset was some fine low tackling, which prevented their opponents from bringing any of their many attacks to fruition. On the other hand there was some- bad passing and much mishandling. A tower, of strength to the side was the. Captain. E, Brown, playing at wing three-quarters, and later at centre, who, apart froth kicking the winning goal, got his team out of trouble many times. L. Odgers showed a neat side-step at wing three-quarters. Forward play by both sides, although fairly loose, was of a high standard With much fierce but intelligent rucking and some good bursts of speed. Outstanding was D. Collins, a Sydenham front row man, who followed the ball closely throughout, nearly scored on more than one occasion, and led some fine dribbling rushes. Another tirele&s worker for Sydenham was the captain, C. Rhodes. Always capable of putting a good pack into the field, Belfast had an excellent trio in G. Fechney, L. Halligan and L. Allen. Fechney displayed exemplary dash right up to the final whistle. Belfast won by 3 points (a penalty goal) to 0. Mr R. Empson was referee. The teams were:— Belfast.—F. Wilson, W. Radford, W. Guilford, E. Brown; L. Odgers, C. Cassidy; R. Odgers; L. Allen, G. Fechney, L. Halligan, B. Marshall, R. Cox, S. Turnbull. G. Marshall, L. Reeves. Sydenham.—M. Gowans; E. Hurndell, R. Bowick, R. Brown, J. Le Compte; R. Cotton, D. Sampson; J. Moorhead, T. Bisman, H. Fox. B. Wilson, J. O’Neill, C. Rhodes, D. Collins, R. Beveridge.

MERIVALE BEATEN With more weight in th* forward* and greater speed in the backs, Linwood beat the less experienced Merivale side by Hi points to 3 at Lancaster Park South. However, on its return to senior Rugby, Merivale showed that It has justified promotion and that the team should develop as the season progresses. The team has some fine players, especially In the forwards, who should be capable of down into a good combination. Linwood was 10 points ahead at halftime after two converted tries and had scored a potted goal and another try be fore Merivale got its three points from a penalty goal. A speedy set of backs made many attacks for Linwood with M. Mufinerley, second five-eighths, J. Gascoigne, centre three-quarters, and R. A. Spriggs, wing three-quarters, standing out. Munnerley was a most intelligent director of play, who used kick and follow-up methods to advantage, backed-up well to relieve pressure with kicks for the line, and potted a neat goal. Spriggs, the fastest man on the field, was always formidable wner. making for the corner. At first fiveeighths, M. Aitken showed a deceptive ability to switch play quickly to the blind side. A. R. Taylor (full-back) had a satisfactory day with some good kicks for the line and for goal. Playing in the back of the scrum, C. J. Adlam was the pick of the hard working pack of Linwood forwards which at times seemed to miss the determination of P. Eastgate. R. J. Tabb, M. A. Couch, and S. Mitchell were always to the forefront of raids on the Merivale line, often using short passing methods to great advantage. Try as it would, Merivale could not cross the opposition line. The back line at times had both the full-back and the extra wing in close to the line, but tries did not eventuate, usually because the movement ended through a dropped pass. They made many more mistakes than their opponents. At full-back, K. Burnett, had an off-day. He failed to find the line and once a try resulted from a kick of hia that was charged down. R. Watson proved a fairly competent half-back, and he scored his side’s only points With a penalty goal. A good forward pack was efficiently led by the heavy captain, K. McCartney. S. Mitchell, M. Aitken, and A. R. Taylor scored tries for Linwood, Taylor converted two, and M. Munnerley kicked a field goal. R. Watson kicked a penalty goal for Merivale. Mr V. C. Empson wag referee. The teams were:— Linwood.—A. R. Taylor; R. A. Spriggs, J. Gascoigne, L. Hunter; M. Munnerley, M. Hunter; I. Bur don; C. J. Adlam, R. J. Tabb, K. Powell, K. Smith, S. Mitchell, J. Pickering, M. A. Couch, F. J. Archer. Merivale.—K. Burnett; L. Maher, P. Collins, O. Burnett; M. C. Stonyer, R. Wilson; R. Watson; M. Bourne, D. Fleming, T. Palmer, K. McCartney, G. Reynolds. M. Drury, B. Cantwell, J. Turner.