OTAGO LOSES, 9-3

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28371, 2 September 1957, Page 8

OTAGO LOSES, 9-3

Game In Rain At Auckland I New Zealand H'rest Association) AUCKLAND, Sept. 1. The Auckland representative Rugby team, playing one; ol its best games of, the season, beat Otago, the Ranfurly Shield holders, by a try and two penalty goals <9 points) to a penalty goal <3 points) , at Eden Park yesterday. Heavy rain in the morning and a persistent clinging misty rain during the match restricted the attendance to under 3000 and cost the Auckland Rugby Union, at a conservative estimate, £ 1200.

Auckland gained not a little in prestige for a victory which wad well earned and which, under dry conditions, would almost certainly have been much

more conclusive. _'~ Otago was weakened by the absence of the two AH Blacks H. J. Levien and F. S. McAtamney and the first-string hooker, I. M. Stevens, but the defections could by no means explain some indifferent defensive play in the region of the scrum and the midfleld backs, or the want of an enterprise comparable with Auckland's.

The scoring was soon done with. After about half-an-hour’s play, mostly confined to forward rushes Auckland was penalised in its own quarter and E. S. Diack safely placed a fine goal from 20 yards. Kiley Finds a Gap

Some four or five minutes later, T. J. S. Riley, the Auckland first five-eighths, wriggled out of a tackle, and while getting his balance from these impudent gestures suddenly discovered that the Otago midfield defencfi, for neither the first, nor the last time, was out of position. He thereupon ran hard into the Otago twenty-five, safely gave R, F. McMullen, a long pass and no doubt watched with considerable justifiable satisfaction while L. C. Russell; upon receiving from McMullen, bounced off both Diack and the full-back J. N. Darling, and then hurtled across near the corner for an excellent try. T. R. Edwards could not convert but the inspiration of so fine an effort meant much to Auckland as, now playing with wind and heavy rain, it began the second half.

The second half had not been long under way before Riley, aissisted by teammates who scraped the ball dry on each other’s jerseys, placed a long penalty goal frpm 35 yards. A little time later, R. J. Conway, the red-headed and fierily enthusiastic Otago No. 8 appeared to commit the indiscretion of tackling an Aucklander who was not carrying the ball and, Riley made no mistake with the penalty from about 20 yards. Shortly afterwards, about the

20th minute of the half, Otago took decisive command and for minutes at a time hammered hard at the Auckland goal. The last 10 or 12 minutes of the game decisively favoured Auckland. The teams were:— Otago.—J. N. Darling; D. W. Jowett, D. A. Grant (captain), E. S. Diack; G. Moody, C. Prain; L. J. Townsend; D. Johnston, J. B. Buxton, G. W. Dennison, N. Jones, R. J. Conway, W. Gillespie, J. Cotton, L, Kovaleski. . - Auckland.—T. Edwards; L. Russell, F. McMullen, A. Dalton; T. R. Riley, T. Lineen; K. Davis; L. Sapich, A. Pryor, D. Caughey, J. Skeen (captain), B. Nepia, H. L. White, A. Morrow, G. Perry.