Dazzling Try Clinches Win

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31764, 22 August 1968, Page 17

Dazzling Try Clinches Win

(New Zealand Preu Association) AUCKLAND. A dazzling try in the last minute by T. W. Tataurangi, the replacement leftwing, crowned Auckland’s defeat of Taranaki, 19-11, in the representative Rugby match at Eden Park yesterday.

Before this piece of individual brilliance, quite the most memorable of a hard-fought, engrossing match, the two teams had been locked in a tense battle.

Auckland was first to score, but only after 30 minutes' probing by both sides. Taranaki came back to 5-all, and early in the second half it was 8-all. Auckland went to 13-8, Taranaki pulled up to 11-13, and even if Auckland was 16-11 with seven minutes to play, Taranaki were still very much in the game.

With what seemed its last gasp, Auckland thundered into an attack to the right corner, M. J. Dick, who had already looked in his best form as a wing, played halfback as be fired a pass to M. A. Herewini. BEAT DEFENDERS

Herewini sent a long pass across two Taranaki defenders—who might well have in-

tercepted it—and when Tataurangi picked up he seemed blocked by his marker, R. Clarke. Immediately into top speed, Tataurangi gestured infield, sped round the outside of Clarke, scampered another 15 yards to the line, and then plunged over in a tackle for the try. Conditions were ideal for enterprising back play, but the two teams watched each other so carefully, and tackled so well, that it was the indiv idual flair rather than combined assaults which produced the points. The forward play was another matter. A relentless, punishing battle between two good packs. Taranaki seemed to do better in the forwards for most of the first half, but the re-formed Auckland pack rallied well in the second half. For Auckland, Dick, P. R. Thorburn, A. B. Edwards and Tataurangi scored tries. R. D. Whatman converted two and kicked a penalty. F. Harris, K. P. Hurley and W. D. Currey scored Taranaki’s tries and Hurley converted one.