Auckland Shaken, Then Produces Superb Play

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30219, 26 August 1963, Page 14

Auckland Shaken, Then Produces Superb Play

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, August 25. After surviving one of the most hectic opening attacks of their present reign, Auckland produced some dazzling, dizzy and delightful Rugby to overwhelm the Wanganui Ranfurly Shield challenge on Saturday by 41 points (four goals, five tries and two penalty goals) to 18 (five penalty goals and a dropped goal).

Auckland scored in the first few minutes, but then was rocked back on its heels by a series of opportunist raids and some superb goal-kicking by C. L. Pierce, the Wanganui and former Wellington wing.

Pierce could not miss with his long and splendid kicks at goal, and after he had kicked four goals and D. E. Dormer, the full-back, had dropped a goal, Auckland found itself after 30 minutes of being 9-15 down. Two tries, both converted, enabled Auckland to win back a 19-15 lead on half-time. Thereafter, Wanganui was swamped by the brilliant running of the Aucklanders who dominated the possession and made good use of their chances.

Altogether Auckland scored nine tries: six came in the second half and three in the final nine giddy minutes. The last try was the best, and represented one of the finest individual feats seen on Eden Park for years. Sliced Through

From a ruck on the Auckland twenty-five, T. W. Tataurangi, the 20-year-old Auckland second five-eighths, sliced through the Wanganui backs and ran to the left almost to the half-way flag. Then he suddenly switched

to the right, scuttled across on a shallow angle to the middle of the Wanganui 10yard mark, gradually straightened up and ran the last 30 yards straight to the posts. The crowd roared and roared, the Wanganui players applauded, and the cheers lasted another minute or two until full-time.

During his brilliant run, Tataurangi seemed to go through about 20 players, none of whom got as much as a fingertip to him. Two would-be tacklers succeeded only in banging their heads together as they tried to lay this flying ghost. Cut To Shreds

Wanganui tried extremely hard, and for a young and inexperienced team did wonderfully until the power and variety of the Auckland attacks cut the side to shredi. Pierce was quite brilliant, and had he been a trifle faster two long breaks from broken play, each of about 100 yards, would have brought tries. C. McPhee, the

half-back, D. Dormer, the full-back, and the locks, G. Lance and C. Rodgers, kept going until the end, but they were so beaten in the battle for possession that their chances of mounting a dangerous attack were limited. Auckland scored some superb tries, one to M. A. Herewini after a sudden switch of direction, another to L. W. Fell when he appeared outside the open-side wing, and another to W. J. Nathan after W. J. Whineray, H. L. White and H. J. Maniapoto had rampaged down the middle of the field. Harker Tremendous

All the Auckland forwards played well, but none better than D. G. Harker, who was in tremendous form. For about 15 minutes in the middle of the second half Harker seemed to be the only man in the line-out, so much did he dominate the jumping and crashing rims ahead. Maniapoto, who replaced the injured B. T. Thomas just before the match, also jumped magnificently, and Auckland won the line-outs by at least two to one.

Apart from his try, Tataurangi frequently brought touches of brilliance to his play. Herewini and D. M. Connor had good games, too, and P. F. Little was back to his old, straight-running form. The Auckland tries were scored by Nathan (2), Fell (2), Whineray, Tataurangi, Herewini, R. J. Patterson, and R. M. Rangi. H. H. Henare converted four and kicked two penalty goals. Pierce kicked five penalty goals for Wanganui and Dormer dropped a goal.