Harrowing time for Auckland

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33960, 29 September 1975, Page 28

Harrowing time for Auckland

AUCKLAND. Tenacious defence, a superb miuhi. and quick-witted opportunism — these three virtues. pins a dash or l«u of luck, carried the Auckland Rugby team through a further harrowing afternoon at Eden Park before it turned back Waikato’s; hold Ranfnrly Shield challenge. 17-13. ute and the second of J. S.j McLachlan's two dashing; tries on the right wing, before Auckland got the game; under control at 17-7. And in its perplexing way,] it stood and admired as ini the last minute Mark Taylor., the remarkable teen-age first five-eighths, threaded his way through the defence and 1 put Peter Gilbert across for! • trv and conversion

So Waikato, which had; played far above its recent i or.n. went back to the bars' »no byres lamenting: and; wondering how its first-rate I ilrst half performance left it trailing 0-7. and how| Auckland managed to pluck! from thin air two tries, one] in each half, which brought i it some sort of security. ] The Marlborough men ini the stand, who can hardly ihave been frightened by the! Auckland performance, will I have made plans for their) ! challenge tomorrow. The Auckland scrum wasi -■plendid, virtually an attack-i ing weapon in its own right. Kevin Greene, the Waikato I ihalf-back, played very well.! Auckland came out of the lineout battle rather more, comfortably than usual, buti again it was out-pointed in the rucks. The tigerish Wai-1 ,kato forwards, by contrast,; I were champions in the rucks. | SMOOTH • j I The Waikato backline func-i tioned more smoothly —; 'thanks largely to the speed! :of Greene in moving the ball. — and they needed only a • itouch of luck early in the! game to turn two of Gilbert’s metcurial bursts into points. I Scorers: For Auckland: J. S. McLachlan (27. and D. L. Palmerj tries; S. L. Watt'kicked a penalty goal and a conversion. R. G. Myers and P. C. 1 Gilbert -cored Waikato’s Ties, and Q. A. Maisey ’ lucked a conversion and a 1 dropped goal. Other representative mutches details:— Manawatu 1* (H Blair. P. Broder’ou tries: D. Hales] 3enm.lt--. V Times penalty), Taranaki 7 <G. O’Brien try; i Davidson penalty). Bay of Plenty 22 CT. Marriner, ,'T Brown. T Davies tries; G. Rom lands two penalties, two con.erstons . North Auckland 16 Hepple, S. Going tries: S. tJoing conversion. T. Waaka two i penalties’. Counties 29 p. King! three and . B. J. Robertson tries; R. Lendrum two comerslons, two I j penalties and a dropped goal), Poverty Bay 19 (I. Kirkpatrick, P. Toclre’, M. Pcrkinsnn tries: A. Swann a conversion and oenalty H. Huriwai a conver-i