Fast Auckland Side Beats Canterbury

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31767, 26 August 1968, Page 15

Fast Auckland Side Beats Canterbury

The Press” Special Service

AUCKLAND.

There was something strangely listless about the Canterbury Rugby team which was beaten, 18-14, by Auckland at Eden Park on Saturday. Auckland played excellent Rugby, fast and enterprising, but no team —least of all Canterbury—should have been beaten to the loose ball, or so often.

The basic reason for Auckland’s success was greater speed. Nobody in the Canterbury side could match the thing Maori wing, T. M. Tataurangi, for speed, and B. A. Watt could not match the decisive play of M. A. Herewini at first five-eighths.

It was Herewini who dictated the terms of the match—with accurate kicks and quick little dashes.

Outside him, the Auckland backs made the most of the chances given them, and although R. Woolhouse outplayed the former All Black, M. J. Dick, and H. J. Joseph took care of R. E. Rangi, Tataurangi appeared able to break through almost at will.

It was Tataurangi who brought the crowd of about 15,000 to its feet with two brilliant tries. To score the first, he kicked ahead, outsped R. Cocks and W. F. McCormick, and jumped feet into the air to pull down the ball and dive over in the corner. To score the second, he turned on a blistering sprint to leave I. H. Penrose, covering tirelessly as be had throughout the match stranded. In the forwards, the battle was very hard fought, with mans outbursts of open fighting. P. E. Lindesay and P. Whiting, the Auckland giants, were continually in disagreement with the Canterbury lock, J. F. Burns. Once Lindesay tackled Burns, and the two players leapt to their feet and slugged it out—with the ball, the referee, and the play moved 40 yards up the field. It was a pity that such an absorbing forward struggle should have been spoilt by rough-house tactics. Auckland won the forward contest by getting more men to the action more often. Indeed. I. A. Kirkpatrick. A. J. Wyllie. and Penrose were outplayed by the unsung Auckland loose trio of P R. T. Thorburn. A. B. Edwards, and W. P. Curran. Thorburn, who is only sft Tin. was a continual thorn in Canterbury’s side. He zipped off the end of the line-out like a guided missile, and the way he dodged past Canterbury tacklers w hen running with the ball was an eye-opener. At the epd of the line-out. Edwards, a sturdy policeman, made sure there was no funny business on his beat, and Kirkpatrick was never allowed to dominate the No. 7 position the way he did against Waikato.

To add the finishing touch. K. J. O’Shannessey. won the hooking duel against J. N Creighton, including a vital tight-head that led to Tataurangi’s first try. A disappointing feature of the match was the “whistle-happy" display by the referee, Mr R A. Wilson. He awarded penalty after penalty and many of his rulings seemed inconsistent. Ran Of Flay Canterbury opened the scoring after six minutes when Lindesay was penalised after a scuffle in a line-out. McCormick kicking the goal from 30 yards out. Three minutes later.

Creighton was penalised in a scrum and R O. Whatman made it 3-all with a penalty from 35 yards. A minute later Auckland took the lead when Herewini dum

mied a reverse pass to Rangi. and drop-kicked a goal from the Canterbury twenty-five. Auckland went to 9-3 10 minutes later when Tataurangi scored his first try. McCormick kicked a 25-yard penalty goal after 27 minute*, but 10 minutes from the end of the half What

man pushed Auckland to a 12-6 lead with a penalty right in front on the twenty-five when Joseph was ruled off-side at a ruck. 12-1 At Half-time The half-time score was 12-6. Twenty minutes into the second spell, O’Shannessey took

another tight-head and the Auckland captain and half-back. N. R. Cowley, drop-kicked a startling goal. Woolhouse brought Canterbury to 9-15 with a fine try when

he ran round Dick to score in the corner. Seven minutes from time. Tataurangi scored his second try. and Auckland seemed right in command at 18-9. But three minutes from time. Mr Wilson gave Canterbury a penalty 35 yards from the Auck land line. A. E. Hopkinson ran

with the ball, and when he was tackled Mr Wilson awarded another penalty. Penrose ran. and passed to Kirkpatrick—and the powerful All Black scored in the corner. McCormick converted with a fine kick to make the final score, 18-14.