Taranaki Scored Few Tries In Dour Season

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30559, 30 September 1964, Page 19

Taranaki Scored Few Tries In Dour Season

[By Out Rugby Correspondent! A defence put up by Taranaki Rugby supporters, to refute criticism of the sty le of play adopted by the Taranaki team in the Ranfurly Shield challenges, has been that Ranfurly Shield Rugby is of necessity tough, dour and unrelenting, and that teams such as Otago, Canterbury and Auckland also did not play very adventurous Rugby when they held the shield for long periods.

An “anything you can do, we can do worse,” attitude.

However, this generality does not bear much affinity to fact. Those three provinces made a marked impact on New Zealand Rugby while they held the shield. Their Rugby may have been hard and determined; but it was never completely negative.

The 10-man Rugby being played by Taranaki was criticised after the CanterburyTaranaki mater, and the succeeding four matches have done nothing to dispel the view taken then. If anything, they have strengthened it. A comparison of the tries scored by Taranaki, Otago, Canterbury and Auckland in their first full year defending the shield shows that Taranaki has by far the worst record of the four provinces. The table is:— Played Tries Otago (1948) ..7 41 Canterbury (1954) 8 23 Auckland (1960) .. 8 23 Taranaki (1964) ..9 15 New Rules The large number of tries scored by Otago may be somewhat out of proportion, because in 1948 the No. 8 forward had not become a part of Rugby. Canterbury and Auckland, two teams which had to face the pressure of loose forwards, probably can be regarded as a norm. Age No Bar Sugar Ray Robinson, the former world middle-weight boxing champion, outpointed the French champion, Yoland Leveque, over 10 rounds yesterday. Robinson, aged 44, is about twice as old as Leveque.— < Paris, September 29.) Test Captain The Nawab of Pataudi has been appointed to lead India against Australia in all three tests in India next month.— (Madras, September 29.)

Taranaki, on the other hand, could score only 15 tries under the new rules, which were brought in to assist back play. What would have been their total under the old rules? And of those 15 tries, 10 were scored in two matches. In four of the nine matches Taranaki won by penalties or dropkicks.

However, it is a fact that Taranaki withstood nine challenges, including several from strong provinces, and the great attributes of the Taranaki team—its forwards, and R. H. Brown and K. C. Briscoe—cannot be overlooked. The Taranaki pack probably was the best-drilled in New Zealand. It could hold its own in the tight and in the loose was a dangerous unit. Kept To Plan The backs were outstanding on defence and in Briscoe and Brown, particularly Brown, they had two fine tacticians. Brown kicked 10 dropped goals in nine matches and his kicking probably won Taranaki at least four of its shield matches. The remaining backs were anonymous as attackers. And above all, Taranaki

must be given credit for sticking to its plan of campaign. This the team did religiously and the obvious answer to any further criticism is that the plan worked. Still, reverting to the Otago, Canterbury and Auckland team; while holders of the Ranfurly Shield they developed some very good wings. Otago produced R. H. Bell, I. J. Betting, G. J. Moore and W. A. Meates and Canterbury had M. J. Dixon, A. E. G. Elsom, and R. M. Smith, and Auckland, M. J. Dick, D. W. McKay and R. E. Rangi. It will be interesting to see how many Taranaki threequarters play for the All Blacks. Even In their oddest moments selectors still prefer wings who score tries.