Club Rugby Review

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28888, 7 May 1959, Page 12

Club Rugby Review

Although R. Tabb looked the veteran of the Linwood pack, he was the most energetic in the loose against Merivale. The forward struggle was vigorously contested, but Tabb found time to cover his backs as well as contribute his share in the tight.

i The Marist first fiveL I eighths, J. G. Hutchinson, i I ■ must surely be the lightest back in the senior competition. He is just under 10 stone but this has given him a nimbleness which his opponents find hard to match. Against Albion, Hutchinson stood out for his constructive play and made the breaks which led to three of Marist’s tries.

Short passing among forwards, one of the most -Z_ attractive and formidable moves in a match, but one seen too little in the Christchurch senioi’ competition, was exploited several times by the Christchurch pack against Sunnyside. One such move, with many forwards and one or two backs handling, took play down the side-line from the half-way to over the’twenty-five and had defenders floundering.

Olf L. Ewen can maintain the form he showed at full-back for Technical on Saturday, he should be a leading contender for this position in the representative side this season, as B. M. J. Dineen is not available for selection. Ewen played one game for the Canterbury A team last year, against South Canterbury.

Dribbling a ball without losing control, one of Rugby’s most difficult skills, was demonstrated magnificently by the New Brighton captain. 11. Burry, in the match with Old Boys. With head l down and shoulders hunched. Burry guided the ball with the insides of his boots for many yards without kicking it too far or without letting it move away to the side of him. When a defender finally picked the ball up from in front of him Burry was able to tackle decisively. Burry’s all-round performance was firstclass, too. It is not easy to lead a losing team, but Burry’s appliI cation was outstanding. He was in the thick of the tight play. Yet he was frequently prominent in cover defence and in open piay. His was a remarkable example of leadership in its best sense.

The portable hot tea service that has been available to Rugby and cricket patrons at some of the top sporting grounds in New Zealand for several years, will be available to the Rugby public at Lancaster Park this season. The caterers at the park last Saturday served hot soup and tea in paper cups free to all who wanted it, and it was learned later that for the big fixtures, the tea and soup will be dispensed from portable knapsack canisters this season.

« The Old Boys centre three-quarters, H. L. Johnsen, who has filled that position for the team for a long time, appears to be playing just as well this season as ever. Often in the past when inside backs have been able to do little against determined defence. Johnsen has imparted remarkable speed and thrust when the ball has got to him. This he did on Saturday, and his two tries were a just reward.

The Sunnyside-Spreydon team, which had given a good account of itself against Technical on the first day of the competition, had to play its second match with Christchurch sadly depleted, especially in the forwards. H. Smith, a lock, was absent with a knee injury, the other lock, E. Clarke, was attending a police course at Trentham. I. Hoe, an experienced loose forward, could not play because of a boil on a leg, and another, R. Hughes, was away from Christchurch. When the hooker, R. Waller, was injured, he had to be replaced by G. Kinzett, a back, and another back went into the forwards.

I Only one slight altercation 1 I between two players in the i 1- Belfast-Sydenham match at Lancaster Park marred the Rugby on the oval on Saturday. No penalty was awarded, but the referee spoke to the two players and play continued. Although this was the only incident of any moment, there were occasions during the University-Technical game when some University players could have earned penalties for provocation. It was often noticed that after the whistle had gone, one or two University players left their opponents after giving them a parting push, or finished off a tackle by throwing the player in possession, quite unnecessarily, to the ground. One University player was penalised once for pushing an opponent after he had parted with the ball. These provocative gestures should be stamped out by coaches and referees.